


Home for the Holidays (and Maybe a Bit Longer)

by Briar0942



Series: I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love [1]
Category: Once Upon A Time - Fandom
Genre: Captain Swan - Freeform, Christmas, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 08:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14997170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briar0942/pseuds/Briar0942
Summary: Emma Swan was returning back home to Storybrooke for Christmas after being away for four years. She was expecting fun and happiness and hot cocoa with cinnamon-what she wasn't expecting, however, was Killian Jones being there as well, after she hadn't seen him for eight years.[Part one of the I Didn't Mean To Fall In Love series]





	1. Surprises and Promises

It had been four years since Emma Swan had been in Storybrooke last. Four years since she saw her adoptive brother–David Nolan–and his wife–Mary Margaret, and her adoptive mother. Seven years since she saw David's best friend, Killian Jones, but who was counting that? Certainly not Emma. 

When Emma was eighteen, she went off on her own to a university outside of the state, and spent her summers picking up odd jobs and traveling, not leaving her with time to visit home, but now it was Christmas and Emma had graduated, so she could come home.

Driving her old, yellow Volkswagon Bug down the streets of Storybrooke, Emma felt some nostalgia. Four years of being away had been too much. She had her things; maybe she could live at home for a year or two, help out at Granny's or help David at the sheriff's station. 

In what felt like no time at all, Emma had arrived at David and Mary Margaret's house, where they were hosting Christmas this year. Emma parked on the side of the street, behind a stranger's car. She turned off the old car and grabbed her suitcase before pulling it along the street and up the walkway to the door. She only had to knock twice before a familiar looking face opened the door, except it wasn't David or Mary Margaret or even her mother. 

It was Killian Jones. 

A smile lit up Killian's face when he saw Emma, while Emma felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. She recovered quickly, though, a smile forming on her face. "Killian Jones. Long time no see, mate," She said, imitating his accent on the last word.

Killian's smile turned into a smirk. "Emma Swan. Long time no see, love," He said, slightly mocking her.

Emma rolled her eyes, but the smile didn't leave. "So, are you going to let me in or am I going to have to use force?" She asked.

Killian shrugged, adjesting his position so that he was leaning against the doorframe, still effectively blocking Emma from inside. "Depends on what your force is," He answered finally.

Emma crossed her arms. "My force will be punching you and messing up that pretty face of yours," She said.

The man held his arms up in surrender and got out of the way. Emma rolled her suitcase inside the house and into the living room, where her family was waiting. David was the first to notice her. "Emma! I was wondering who Killian was talking to," He added as he stood up from the couch to hug her. Mary Margaret and Ruth were right behind him.

"Yeah, that would be me. Before we go into talking, where can I put my suitcase?" Emma asked and gestured to the object beside her. 

"The second guest room." David looked passed Emma and over to Killian. "Can you show her where it is?" He asked.

Killian nodded once. "Of course. Follow me, love," He added to Emma and walked over to the stairs.

Naturally, Emma followed. Killian moved to take the handle of the suitcase so he could carry it up for her, but Emma swatted his hand away. "I'm a big girl, I can do it," She protested. 

"I'm a gentleman, Swan, and it wouldn't be right to let you carry your own bag," Killian argued.

"Well, I'm telling you I can take it up myself. Your job is to lead the way, not take my stuff for me," Emma pointed out. It seemed the two were quickly falling into their old habit of arguing with each other. It was like seven years hadn't past since the two saw each other. 

Killian glared at her but it seemed he didn't want to argue for once. "As you wish," He said and walked up the stairs. Emma was fairly close behind him, struggling slightly with her suitcase, but she made no complaint about it. Once they were up the stairs, Killian lead her to the left and into a hallway, and then opened a door for her. She walked in and turned on the light. 

The second guest bedroom was fairly large for a guest room, but Emma wasn't exactly complaining. She set her suitcase next to the bed, and saw the adjoined bathroom. How much had this house cost if multiple bedrooms had bathrooms attached? She turned around to leave and caught Killian staring at her. "Can I help you?" She asked, a little harsher than she meant to. 

The tops of Killian's ears turned red. "Sorry, love, just admiring your beauty," He said.

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I see you're still a flirt. Come on, we better get downstairs before David comes up here thinking we got...distracted," She said, and also couldn't stop her eyes from wandering down and then back up his body, to where a smirk was resting on Killian's face.

"Like what you see, Swan?" He asked, causing Emma to roll her eyes once more and mutter something as she pushed past him to go downstairs. This time it was Killian who was following.

The two entered the living room again, and Emma was instantly bombarded with questions, the first one being "Are you dating anyone?" from Mary Margaret.

Emma sat down on the couch before answering. "Um, I can't say that I am," She answered, and focused on her sister-in-law so that her eyes didn't wander to someone else.

"What are you going to do now that you're done with college?" Ruth asked. Emma was happy to answer that question.

"I was actually thinking about living in Storybrooke for a while," Emma admitted, and her adoptive mother smiled.

"That's a great idea. I could always use help down at the station. And you could always stay here until you find an apartment or something," David suggested. Killian mumbled something, causing all four to turn their attention to him. "What was that?" David asked, and the tops of Killian's ears went red again.

"Nothing, mate," Killian answered, and winked at Emma. 

The action didn't go unnoticed by David, who just narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then dismissed the action. 

 

The night went on, and after many cups of hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon, the clock was nearing eleven. Emma, who had been driving a lot that day, was getting very tired and didn't even try to stop herself from resting her head on Killian's shoulder, who had eventually gotten tired of standing and had taken a seat next to Emma. Neither of them thought much of it, considering they had done the same thing since they were teenagers. David and Mary Margaret, on the other hand, thought something might be happening between the two. David's protective-big-brother-instincts were beginning to show, and he was about to say something about it whn Mary Margaret grabbed his arm and silently stopped him.

Emma's eyes were beginning to close and the conversation around her was beginning to get all jumbled from her tired state. "I think it's time for you to go to bed, Em." David's voice broke through the haze and Emma opened her eyes to see him standing up by her and Killian.

Emma just yawned. "Yeah, you're probably right. Goodnight, everyone," She said and heard a chorus of "goodnight" from everyone as she walked up the stairs and into her room. She changed and brushed her teeth before turning off the light and slipping into bed. She fell asleep within minutes.

 

The sound of a shower woke Emma up from her sleep. She was groggy, but was able to tell it was coming from the shower attached to her room. She got up and knocked loudly on the door. The shower shut off a moment later, and the door opened to reveal a very wet Killian. "Good morning, love," He greeted her, running a hand through his wet hair.

"This bathroom's attached to my room," Emma said bluntly. 

"Aye, it's also attached to mine. The two guest rooms share a bathroom," Killian pointed out.

Emma put a hand on her face. "Of course. I'm sorry, I was so tired last night I didn't even realize," She apologized. 

"No harm done, Swan," Killian assured her and closed the door again. 

Emma walked back over to the bed and crawled in, hoping to retain some of the warmth before bracing the cold downstairs. 

Within a few minutes, the bathroom door opened again, this time revealing a fully clothed Killian, though his black hair was still damp and hanging almost over his sea-blue eyes. Emma mumbled a sleepy thanks, and Killian disappeared once more. 

Right as she was about to fall back asleep, Emma remembered what day it was. Christmas Eve. She had gotten David, Mary Margret, and Ruth presents, but she hadn't known Killian was going to be there. "Fuck," She mumbled right as the bedroom door opened.

"Don't let Mary Margaret hear you say that," David said as a greeting and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's the problem?" He asked.

Emma rolled over to face him. "The problem is that it's Christmas Eve and I don't have a present for Killian," She said.

David waved the problem off. "That's nothing. I can just write your name on the present I got for him," He said.

Emma shook her head. "I have to get him a present myself. He'll know you just wrote my name on yours. What do I get him?" She asked.

"If you really insist on getting him something yourself, I suggest rum or something leather," David suggested and stood up. "You should probably get on that. It's Storybrooke, so the shops'll close around four today," He added. Emma nodded, and got up and closed the door after David left.

Twenty minutes later, Emma was showered and dressed, her damp hair falling in loose waves. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where David, Mary Margaret, Ruth, and Killian were sitting around the table. Killian turned around. "Are you joining us, Swan?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Unfortunately not this morning. I'm going to stop by some shops and say hi to old friends. Like Granny," Emma explained. 

Mary Margaret stood up, empty plate in hand. "Is it okay if I join you?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Of course it is," She said.

"May I join this excersion as well?" Killian asked.

Emma shook her head. "Sorry, Jones, not this time." Mary Margaret walked over and linked their arms together, giving Emma a reason other than 'I'm going to buy you a present so you can't be there'. "Mary Margaret and I have a lot to catch up on."

"I believe the two of us have a lot to catch up on too, Swan," Killian pointed out.

Emma smiled. "Next time, Jones," She said.

Killian made an exaggerated pouty face. "Promise, love?" He asked, and Emma couldn't hold back the eye roll, but she nodded.

"Yeah, I promise."


	2. Questions

Emma and Mary Margaret were out of the house within five minutes. It was cold out, but not snowing, and they lived close to the town center, so the two women decided to walk. "Where do you want to hit first?" Mary Margaret asked cheerfully.

Emma didn't even have to think. "Granny's. The hot cocoa last night was good, but I haven't had Granny's hot cocoa in forever. Also, I could kill for one of her grilled cheeses," Emma added.

Mary Margaret smiled. "Granny's it is, then," She said.

The two walked in silence for a couple minutes before Mary Margaret spoke again. "So...is there something going on between you and Killian?" She asked.

Emma choked on air. "Killian and I? No, no no no no no." Emma shook her hed frantically and then turned to look at her sister-in-law. "Why? Did he say there was?" She asked.

Mary Margaret shook her head. "No, he didn't say anything. I was just thinking about last night, and how he was always the one to refill your hot cocoa–"

"He did that for everyone!" Emma protested.

"–and you laid your head on his shoulder–"

"I've been doing that since I've lived here," Emma argued.

"–and I'm asuming the reason we're even out here is to get Killian a last-minute present because you didn't know he was going to be here," Mary Margaret finished, acting as if Emma hadn't interrupted at all. She glanced at the blonde. "Well? Am I right at least about the gift?" She asked.

Emma was silent for a minute. "Yeah, you're right about the gift. But I'm not doing it because I like him that way!" She added as Mary Margaret went to say something. "I'm doing it because he's spending Christmas with us and it would be rude of me to not get him anything," She said as they walked onto the patio at Granny's, and then through the door and into the diner.

A woman with gray hair turned their way, and smiled when she saw Emma. "Emma!" She said and came over to pull the younger adult into her signature, bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, Granny," Emma greeted her when she let go.

"Let me guess, grilled cheese, onion rings, and hot chocolate with cinnamon?" Granny asked, and Emma nodded. "Coming right up," She said and walked off.

Emma and Mary Margaret took a seat in one of the booths against the wall. "So, you said there was nothing between you and Killian, and you said you didn't currently have a boyfriend. Did you date at all during the four years you were at college?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma shrugged. "Kinda, yeah. I mean, I dated this guy Walsh for about six months. Then he proposed, and called me a bitch when I turned him down and stormed out of the restaurant, so I had to pay. That was like two years ago. No one else." Emma ran a hand through her hair. "God, that sounds so pathetic, the fact that I've only ever dated two guys, and they both turned out to be assholes," She said.

Mary Margaret just gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Emma. Two more questions about your love life and then I'm done, I promise. Okay?" She asked. Emma nodded and gestured for her to ask. "First, did you love either of them?"

Emma shrugged. "Not Walsh, I know that for a fact. Neal...I don't know. I was sixteen, I didn't exactly know what love was. I did know, however, that him leaving me to take the fall for a crime meant he certainly didn't love me," She answered.

"Do you want there to be something between you and Killian?"

Emma hesitated a moment. It honestly wasn't that hard to imagine herself with him, but he was David's best friend, and Emma was fairly sure that Killian simply saw her as David's little sister and nothing more. "I don't know," She answered truthfully. "I'm honestly not that good at the whole 'dating' thing. I'm good at the 'running away' thing," She added.

"You didn't go running when Killian opened the door last night," Mary Margaret pointed out.

"Him being here doesn't mean we're going to start dating," Emma countered.

"That might be true, but both of you are staying in Storybrooke for an undetermined amount of time, and something might happen within that undetermined amount of time," Mary Margaret argued.

Emma shook her head as Ruby came out carrying the plate of a grilled cheese and onion rings, along with her hot cocoa. "I kind of can't believe Emma Swan has come back to Storybrooke. Just for the holidays or are you staying for a while?" Ruby asked.

"Staying a while," Emma answered with a smile.

Ruby grinned back. "That's almost as unbelievable as when Jones came in here and said the same thing," She said and put the meal down. "One night we're having a girls' night. You're coming, too, Mary Margaret," Ruby added as she walked away.

Emma practically wolfed down the meal, it was so good.

In what felt like no time, the two women were paying and leaving the diner, then making their way towards the liquor store. "Remind me why we're going to the liquor store?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma didn't even turn. "They have the good rum."

"How do you know this? Last time I checked, you were only eighteen when you left here."

Emma barely held back a grin. "Let's just say, when Jones gets drunk, he's easy to persuade."

Mary Margaret's expression was too much, and Emma couldn't contain her laughter. "You were–what–fifteen, when Killian left? He was only eighteen! He shouldn't've been drinking either."

Emma's grin was full-fledged. "I never said I was talking about Killian," She said.

Mary Margaret stared at Emma. "You mean to tell me, that responsible Liam Jones let you and Killian drink before you guys where twenty-one?" She asked.

Emma shrugged as they turned the corner, and the store came into view. "I told you, he's easy to persuade when he was drunk. Plus, he couldn't say no when Killian and I were combining our forces. Liam didn't get drunk that often, but when he did, those were fun nights."

The conversation was cut off as they walked into the store. It didn't take Emma very long to locate the rum. She bought two bottles and within ten minutes of walking into the store, Emma and Mary Margaret were walking out of it. "Mind leading the way towards the clothes store? I hate to say it, but I don't really remember where it is," Emma admitted.

Mary Margaret looked like she was going to bring up the previous topic of conversation, but–thankfully–she dropped it. "I don't mind. It's not that far from here," She said.

The two walked in a comfortable silence through the cold, and Emma jammed her hands into the pockets of her winter jacket.

They walked into the store, and Emma walked straight over to the leather jackets. "Hey, what's David's size?" Emma asked.

"Large, but I thought you were shopping for Killian?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I am. David and Killian are the same size," Emma explained and continued looking through the jackets. She seemed to be serching for the perfect one.

Mary Margaret stood back and watched, a smug smile on her face. Emma finally looked up and saw her friend's face. "What now?"

"I just think it's funny how you say there's nothing between you and Killian, and yet, here you are, trying to find the perfect jacket for him," Mary Margaret said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen him in, like, seven years, can you blame me for wanting to get him a good present?" She asked.

Mary Margaret shook her head, but the smug look didn't go away.

Finally, Emma found the right jacket, in the right size, and not too expensive (she was not going to pay fifty dollars for a jacket that wasn't hers) and went to the register to pay. She paid and walked out of the store with Mary Margaret. "Anywhere else you want to go before we go back home?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma shook her head. "I'm starting to get cold. Do you have wrapping paper I can use?" She asked, and the other woman nodded. They walked back to Mary Margaret's house and Emma slipped upstairs to shove Killian's present in her suitcase until she could wrap it for him. She then walked back downstairs to where everyone was sitting in the living room.

"That wasn't a very long trip, Swan," Killian commented as Emma sat down.

"It is cold out. And Christmas eve," Emma responded without looking at him.

"What did you and Mary Margaret do?"

"Went to Granny's. Caught up on life."

"Is that all?"

Emma finally turned to Killian. "Yes, that is it, but I don't see how it's any of your business," She said.

Killian flashed her a smile. "I never said it was, love," He said, causing Emma to roll her eyes and turned back to the tv.

"Killian, can I talk to you for a sec in the kitchen?" David asked. Killian shrugged and nodded and got up.

 

In the kitchen, Killian leaned against the counter. "What is it, mate?" He asked.

David sighed and looked a little awkward. "Look, Mary Margaret wanted me to ask you..." He trailed off and sighed. "Do you like Emma? That's what she wanted know," He added.

Killian slipped off the counter. "I, uh, what? I mean, what?" He spluttered, before actually thinking. "She...she's Emma, of course I like her. She would help me convince Liam to let us do, ah, legal things. She's a great friend," Killian answered.

David gave his friend a look. "You know what I mean, Killian. Do you want to date Emma?" He asked impatiently.

Killian leaned on the counter again. "Listen, mate, I don't believe that's any of your business," He said coolly.

That earned another protective-brother-look from David. "Look, just, if you do, I'm trusting you to take good care of you if she wants to...date you too, got it?" He asked, and Killian nodded. "I just have one more question, was there something going on between you and Emma during high school?" He asked.

Killian shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint, but no, there wasn't. Dear Swan just wasn't as good as you, and liked to occaisionally do fun stuff that Liam might not've approved of but let us do anyways," He explained. David narrowed his eyes.

"What did you two do?" He asked, and Killian just winked and walked out of the kitchen and back to the living room.

 

It was barely two in the afternoon and all Emma wanted to do was take a nice nap. Unfortunately, she couldn't. She loved playing games and watching movies with her family and Killian, but she really wanted to nap.

Until Ruth brought out Monopoly, which woke Emma up almost immediatly. "Ready to play a game that'll probably last all night?" She asked. Naturally, they all were. They gathered around the board on the floor, and each claimed their pieces. Killian was the boat ("It's not a boat, she's too big, this here is a ship,"), Mary Margaret was the cat, David was the wheelbarrow, Emma was the shoe, and Ruth was the thimble.

No one was too competitive at first, but by the end of the first hour, every place on the board was owned and trades were being made. Emma ended up getting last two railroads she needed from Killian by giving him the last piece he needed for a set.

After the second hour, it was just David, Emma, and Killian left, and David was starting to go bankrupt. Emma and Killian slowly bought him out, then traded the profits, and made David go bankrupt within a half hour. "I'm gonna crush you, Jones," Emma said, she could already see her victory.

A smile danced on Killian's face. "I don't think you're right about that, Swan," He said and bought another house.

The two of them played for two more hours until Emma finally made Killian go bankrupt. So, naturally, she got up and did a small victory dance, before laying on the floor. "I'm so hungry right now," She said as the hunger set in.

David got up and helped Mary Margaret to her feet. "How about we cook up some christmas eve tacos?" He suggested, and his wife nodded. The two of them went into the kitchen. Ruth was laying on one of the couches.

"Will you two clean this up please?" She asked Emma and Killian, who nodded.

Emma put the board and the character pieces away while Killian put the money away, and then put it in the box and put the lid on it. "You and I make quite the cleanup team, Swan," Killian said as Emma stood up to put the game away. She rolled her eyes but she smiled anyways.

Instead of going straight back to the living room, Emma took a detour in the kitchen. "So, I'm assuming we're having the traditional 'stay-up-till-midnight-watching-Disney-Movies' Nolan Christmas eve tradition?" She asked, David nodded.

"Of course we are, it wouldn't really be Christmas if we didn't, now would it?" David asked, and Emma shook her head.

"It also hasn't entirely felt like Christmas with you not being here the past few years," Mary Margaret added.

Emma smiled. "Well, I'm here know and it seems like you're kinda stuck with me and the younger Jones for an undetermined amount of time," She said, then went back to the living room before they could respond.

Emma laid down on one of the two short couches, and it just so happened to be the one Killian was leaning against. She looked over to where Ruth was laying, and saw that the older woman had fallen asleep. She also glanced over to the kitchen, where she knew David and Mary Margaret couldn't see her or Killian, so she laid on her side and absent-mindedly ran one of her hands through Killian's hair as she closed her eyes. Thankfully, Killian didn't say anything about it. She was just beginning to doze off when Killian practically jumped up as David and Mary Margaret walked back into the room. "Tacos are done," Mary Margaret said as she eyed Killian, who was scratching behind his ear.

Emma blinked open her eyes and got up as David gently woke up Ruth for dinner.

The tacos were so good. Of course, Emma had a hard taco and then a plate of nachos, just to have variety. That reasoning made Killian laugh.

After dinner, the adults went back into the living room, while Mary Margaret turned on Netflix and put on Hercules, the Disney one.

Before Emma could lay back down on the couch, Killian stole her couch. Ruth had somehow already fallen asleep on the big couch, and Mary Margaret and David were cuddling on the other small one, which left Emma and Killian to share one. "Don't be a couch hog and scoot over," She said, nudging his shoulder. Killian thought about it for a minute before scooting onto his side agaisnt the cushions, giving Emma space to lay down next to him, as long as she was on her side. Since she figured she was going to fall asleep anyways, she just faced Killian and held back a laugh at his surprised face. "What? I don't want to sleep on the floor. Get over it," She said and closed her eyes. With her exhaustion catching up and her full stomach, she fell asleep in no time.

David passed out around ten o'clock, which left just Mary Margaret and Killian awake. "Is the falling-asleep thing just a Nolan thing? Because they're all asleep," Mary Margaret asked, as she knew Killian and Liam had spent most of their Christmases with the Nolans.

Killian smiled and nodded. "They counted on Liam and I to wake them up before. We did, of course, and this year it looks like it's up to us," He said, quietly enough that none of the Nolans would wake up. Mary Margaret's eyes widened as she realized something, then practically ran upstairs. Killian didn't know why. She came back down about ten minutes later, carrying a load of wrapped presents in her arms. "I thought we had all of our presents already under the tree?" Killian asked.

"These are Emma's presents to us. She didn't bring them down earlier and she's asleep now, so I figured I'd do it for her," Mary margaret explained, before going back and curling up against her sleeping husband. 

 

Emma woke up to Killian laying next to her and gently shaking her awake. "I don't think falling asleep counts as staying up until midnight," He teased. She smiled a sleepy smile at him.

"I'm sorry, I was tired. What time is it?" Emma asked.

Killian checked his watch, "11:58 now. Almost Christmas, which means it's time to get up," He replied. Emma sat up and rubbed her eyes, and saw David doing the exact same thing. Mary Margaret woke up Ruth, and then the five of them sat down on the floor by the tree.

Ruth reached for under the tree to hand out presents, but David stopped her. "Mom, this is my house, so you sit back and relax, and I'll sort the presents," David said. Ruth sat back and it only took about five minutes to get all the presents to the recipients. "Okay, everyone can start opening presents now," David said.

Naturally, everyone began tearing into their presents. Killian ended up getting five bottles of rum, two leather jackets, and a gift card to some tea shop. Emma got cash and a gift card from Ruth, which was how she preferred it. Killian had gotten her a small wooden swan figurine, and Mary Margaret got her a nice, new dress. Ruth got new shirts and dresses, as did Mary Margaret. David got a new shirt and jeans, a new pair of running shoes, and two gift cards.

By the time they were done unwrapping presents, it was only a half hour past midnight. Mary Margaret and David got back on the couch, so did Ruth, but Emma and Killian both silently agreed that the couch was too cramped for the both of them, and there was no way they were going to ask Ruth to move, she had put up with all of them for years, she deserved to be comfy. So, instead, Emma sat on the floor with her back against the couch. After a minute or two of them sitting next to each other, Killian quickly fell into his Christmas night habit of using Emma's lap as a pillow. She didn't mind. She hadn't when they were teenagers, either. She had simply ran her hands through his hair, which was what she did now. She was still tired, too, though, so after watching about an hour of Mulan, Emma ended up bending herself to rest her head on Killian's side, and she ended up falling asleep to the peaceful up-and-down of his breathing.


	3. Mistletoe

Killian woke up around eight, and gently moved himself so that Emma wouldn't wake up. He looked and saw Ruth still asleep on the couch, but he noticed Mary Margaret and David were gone, probably to their bed. Carefully, Killian scooped the sleeping Emma into his arms. He brought her upstairs and managed to get her under the covers without waking her up. He then simply crossed through the bathroom into his own room and went back to sleep in his bed.

When Emma woke, it was ten, and she woke up in her bed. Well, at least she bed she was staying in for an undetermined amount of time. She was surprised to wake up there, as she remembered falling asleep with Killian's head in her lap. She got up and rubbed her eyes, feeling much more refreshed than the day before. She opened her door to see Killian standing against the wall across from the door. "Hey, Kil. How long you been waiting out here?" She asked.

Killian shrugged. "Five minutes, give or take a few," he said and gestured to the plant taped to the top of Emma's door frame. He stepped a little bit closer. "I just happened to notice that someone had taped mistletoe to your doorframe. And, you know, it is traditional to kiss the person who's under it with you," he pointed out.

Emma smiled and didn't hold back a laugh if his reasoning. "Is this jut your round-about way of saying you want to kiss me?" She asked. Killian pretended to think for a moment, and then nodded. Emma stepped under the mistletoe. "I'm pretty sure you actually have to be under the mistletoe to get the kiss," Emma said. Killian grinned and stepped closer, so that there was barely any space between them. Emma put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds and was only lips, but Killian still felt amazed. Emma wouldn't admit it out loud, but she did too. She quickly dropped her hands and crossed her arms, but she didn't back up. "I'm assuming we're the only ones here for you to have the courage to do that?" She asked.

Killian nodded. "Aye, Dave would've killed me if I put that mistletoe up while he was here. He, Mary Margaret, and Ruth are over at Ruth's preparing a 'Christmas surprise' that we're apparently not allowed to know about until the dinner party at Granny's today," He answered. He hadn't stepped back either.

Emma just smiled. "Well, you said you wanted to catch up, so now we have inturrupted time to catch up. You up for that?" She asked. Killian smiled back and nodded, then lead the way downstairs, where they found cookies in the kitchen and decided to have a 'healthy' breakfast on the couch. "You wanna go first?" Emma asked.

Killian shook his head. "Ladies first. You continuesly forget that I'm a gentleman," He teased her before biting in to another cookie.

Emma rolled her eyes. "There's really not that much to tell. I went off to Boston University after I graduated and just...didn't come home, I guess. During breaks I traveled and took odd jobs. During the school year, I mostly worked as a waitress at this half-fancy restuarant and had to deal with terrible people. Food wasn't that bad, though. Your turn," She said.

Killian finished his cookie and shrugged. "I didn't know what to do with my life, but you knew that. I left this town and picked up odd jobs that I mostly hated. And then I finally made my way to the docks and got a job on a ship. I got to travel all over, and it was amazing. Did that for six years, and I was living with Liam for the past year, until last week, when I came here," Killian told her.

Emma gave him a confused look. "Were you with Liam last Christmas?" She asked. Killian nodded. "But...I video chatted him last Christmas. He didn't even mention you were there. Granted, the topic of you didn't come up, but still he could've been like 'hey remember my little brother that you were friends with? he's here' and then you would've shown up and said 'younger brother'," Emma pointed out, doing bad immitations of the Jones' brothers.

Killian chuckled at her immitations. "Yeah, I spent most of that year in a...relationship, but it ended late November, so I spent most of December drinking, despite Liam's efforts. I was hungover and heartbroken last Christmas, and when Liam asked if I wanted him to mention I was there when he talked to you, well, I didn't really want you to see me at my lowest," He admitted, the smile sliding off his face.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be forgetting I've seen you fall asleep in a puddle of your own puke, and then wake up in the morning with a hangover and then puke again," She said, bringing Killian to laugh again.

"I suppose that's true. We weren't very smart when it came to drinking, were we?" Killian asked. Emma grinned.

"I at least knew my limit. You either didn't know or didn't care," Emma pointed out.

Killian smiled. "I think it was a little bit of both. What happened after I left and before you graduated?" He asked.

Emma bit into another cookie and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, uh, about a year after you left I almost got arrested. Not because I was commiting crime, but because...Neal framed me," She said.

The smile slipped off of Killian's face. "Neal as in Neal Cassidy-Gold? The rich and spoiled brat? Why would he do that? I mean, I know he's a complete slimeball, but why frame you?" He asked.

Emma finished her cookie before answering. "That's a, uh, fun story. Remember how I'd had a crush on him when you left, but you always gave me common sense and told me he was awful?" She asked. Killian nodded. "Well, when you were gone and I was sixteen, I still liked him, and he became my friend. I didn't have you around to tell me it was stupid to me his friend, remember. But it was. And then one thing lead to another and suddenly we were dating. I was stupid, and thought I was in love. Then one day, he gives me this watch and says he's gonna sell the rest and we're gonna be rich and not need anyone and run away together. Then he was gone. The cops came by, and if it weren't for Mary Margaret, Ruth, and David there to help me out and come to my defense, I would've gone to jail. Instead, Neal had to go. I graduated before he got out, but I'm sure he's out now, it's been a long time," Emma finished, she could see Killian clenching his jaw. "I know it was a dumb thing to do, okay? I just thought he loved me–"

"Don't think for a second that I'm mad at you, love, I'm pissed at the slimeball. He had you as his girlfriend and then goes and fucks it up. He was an idiot before I left and an idiot afterwards for doing that to you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," Killian apologized.

Emma just blinked. "You have no need to be sorry, Kil, you were living your life and having fun. I don't blame you," She said and put a hand on his arm. "Honestly, it's fine, relax," She added. Killian nodded, but he didn't look her in the eyes.

He gave a swift smile. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to give him a black eye or a bloody nose if I ever see him again," He said lightly, but it wasn't hard to tell he was being completely serious. "But, today's Christmas, and we're going to make happy memories, and not go over a slightly upsetting past. So, we're going to go and find out what that surprise is. Sound good?" Killian asked, his anger mostly melted away.

Emma stood up and nodded. "We should probably get dressed first, though. It's pretty cold out there," She pointed out, then walked upstairs without anoter word.

A minute later, Killian followed her up the stairs and walked into his own room. He changed into fresh clothes and made sure to throw on the jacket Emma bought him the day before. He was back downstairs about five minutes before Emma, and took that time to make a pot of coffee. When Emma did come downstairs, she was greeted by the sight of Killian pouring coffee into two travel cups. "Did you already add cream and sugar or do I have to do it myself?" She asked as she joined him by the counter.

"You're going to have to do that yourself because I happen to like my coffee as black as my hair," Killian said.

Emma just shook her head. "Black coffee is not good and you're crazy, but okay," She said as she added a 'healthy' amount of cream and sugar to her own cup. Killian put the lids on the separate cups. "Are we walking or taking a car?"

"Walking. They'd see your yellow bug and know it was us, and my car needs gas that I really don't feel like getting right now," Killian added, then motioned for Emma to lead the way. She did. She walked straight out of the house and outside where it was snowing lightly, causing her to pause and grin, then turn to Killian.

"Snowing on Christmas. Very wintery," Emma commented.

Killian raised an eyebrow. "You call this snowing? This is hardly anything, love," He argued while motioning to the air around them.

Emma rolled her eyes and started walking again. "What, because this isn't a blizzard it's not labeled as snow? What would you call it, then?" She asked.

Killian shrugged. "Ice sprinkles," He suggested, causing Emma to laugh.

"Ice sprinkles? They're snowflakes, Kil, even if you don't qualify this as snow," She pointed out, causing Killian to mutter something and take a sip of his coffee. Emma pretended not to hear. "So, do you think the surprise is something food related? Because if it's Ruth lasagna I will be so happy," Emma added, changing the topic as they walked. They only had to go down another street and they would be there.

Killian shrugged again. "I'm assuming so, as it is the Christmas potluck. Do you think Granny's finally going to let Ruby make the cookies this year?" He asked.

Emma laughed and shook her head. "Of course not. Doesn't matter that Ruby would use the exct same recipe, Granny's gotta do it herself to make them perfect every single year," She reminded him and drnk some of her coffee.

They'd reached Ruth's house. They crouched down and peeked in through one of the windows. "I don't see them in the kitchen," Killian murmured. Emma edged around the window, attemtping to get a better view.

"Neither do I. Let's sneak in through the back door," Killian suggested. The two made their way through the back yard and slowly jiggled the door handle. Locked.

"Hold this, please," Emma said, handing Killian her coffee. The two made sure they were out of sight from the windows and she pulled out two bobby pins from her hair and quickly picked the lock, while Killian stared at her in shock. There was a slight click and Emma slowly and quietly opened the door. She peeked in and saw that the other three adults were no where to be seen, so they snuck inside, and relocked the door behind them. Killian handed Emma her coffee.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" He whispered as they sat down out of sight behind one of the couches.

Emma grinned. "Neal might've been a slimeball but he did teach me a few handy tricks. Definitely helps when I forget my apartment keys. Happened more often then you would think," She added, causing Killian to just shke his head slightly.

A moment later, they heard talking from upstairs that was becoming louder as Mary Margaret and Ruth made their way down the stairs. "It's already been ten minutes, where's David with that cinnamon?" Mary Margaret said. Emma and Killian adjusted themselves slightly so that they could stay out of sight.

"You and I both know he gets distracted. Besides, it's only 11, we have until four to make it and the lasagna and go to Grannys," Ruth replied.

A few minutes later, Emma and Killian had both finished their coffee and David walked through the front door. "I come with cinnamon and more whipped cream," He announced. "Mom, I really hope you have everything you need because I really don't want to go back to the store," he added.

"But you would," Ruth pointed out. "Now come on and help me get started. We have time and we're going to make the noodles from scratch." There was a slight crashing noise as David set the bag of whipped cream and cinnamon.

Emma turned to Killian and mouthed "My room." The two grabbed their empty cups and–as soon as the coast was clear–swiftly and silently went up the stairs and into Emma's old bedroom. Emma quietly closed the door behind her. "So it is Ruth's lasagna. I was right. Should've made a bet, I could be a few dollars richer if we had," Emma joked quietly. "We can't leave through the back or front doors if we want to keep up this illusion of 'we were never here'. You know what that means. Crawling out the window," Emma said, pointed passed Killian to where the window was.

Luckily, there was a ledge big enough to step on while climbing out of the window, and then they would slide down the roof and drop themselves down from the edge, which just so happened to be the exact thing they did. The two walked back to Mary Margaret and David's house mostly in comfortable silence. When they got there, they raided the kitchen a bit more and made some sandwiches to make up for the cookies they had eaten earlier, and turned on the tv. Emma flipped through a few channels. It seemed like the only movies that were playing were the sappy Hallmark Christmas ones. Emma wasn't a fan of those ones. Then, she found a channel that was playing Gremlins, and it was only about ten minutes into the movie. "Why are we watching this? It's not really a Christmas movie," Killian pointed out.

"It takes place around and during Christmas, which means it is a Christmas movie, and it is snowing outside," Emma argued simply, not taking her eyes off the tv as she and Killian lounged on separate couches.

 

Emma and Killian relaxed and watched more Christmas movies until 3:30, when David walked in. "Come on guys, we're going down to Grannys for the potluck," He said. Emma and Killian got up and stretched, then pulled their shoes and jackets back on, then followed David. Fortunately, David did not like the cold–and he agreed with Emma that is was, in fact, snowing–so they drove to Grannys. Most people were already there, uncovering the dishes they brought.

Ruby wove through the group of people to greet Killian and the Nolan's first. "Ruth and Mary Margaret, you two can put the food right on the counter here, and then we'll get the music started soon and we can all dig in," She said as a greeting.

Ruth and Mary Margaret set down the things they had been holding. Ruth uncovered her lasagna, and Mary Margaret uncovered a container full of whipped cream with cinnamon mixed in already. Mary Margaret pulled Ruby to the side and muttered something in her ear that Emma and Killian couldn't quite make out. They got the impression, however, that it had something to do with them judging by the way Ruby's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at them. "What are you telling her?" Emma asked. 

Mary Margaret shrugged in the specific way that she does that means 'oh, nothing, just things that will probably happen'. Emma hated that shrug. Mostly because Mary Margaret normally ended up right, and this time it was about Emma and Killian. 

It was Ruby's turn to pull Emma away and off to the side now. "So, what's going on with you and Jones?" She asked, getting straight to the point. 

Emma glared at Mary Margaret before turning her attention back to Ruby. "Nothing is going on between us. We're friends. Nothing's going on and nothing's going to go on," Emma replied.

Ruby just grinned. "Well, both of you are staying here for an undetermined amount of time. Anything can happen, especially with both of you staying with Mary Margaret and David," She pointed out, causing Emma to roll her eyes.

"Seriously, Jones and I are just friends. How many times do I have to tell you and Mary Margaret that? Yesterday when we were shopping I swear the only thing she actually wanted to talk about was my love life. You can't join in on that," Emma responded. 

Ruby was still smiling. "I'm standing by my word. Something could end up happening if you let it. You guys have been here for five minutes and I think the only thing Jones has done is stare at the back of your head," She said.

Emma's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "Doesn't mean anything. I'm gonna go now and enjoy the wonderful food everyone made and I'm going to avoid any more questions about my love life that anyone asks me," She said and turned around, not waiting for a response. 

Emma and Killian mostly stuck by each other, talking even more. They caught up a bit with some of the other townspeople, including Archie Hopper. Both ended up making eye contact with Mr. Gold at some point at the potluck, but--thankfully--he didn't come over and talk to them. 

Everyone had a nice time, and by the time Emma, Killian, Mary Margaret, and David got home, all of them were stuffed and ready to sleep. They all practically marched upstairs, and it wasn't until David stopped abruptly and held up the short line that Emma and Killian simultaneously remembered that neither of them had taken down the mistletoe from that morning. David snatched it down from the door frame and stared at Emma and Killian with an accusatory glare that seemed to be mostly pointed at Killian. "What's this?" 

"Uh, I believe that's called mistletoe. It's a plant that people hang up around Christmas time and when two people are underneath it at the same time, they have to kiss. It's a pretty well-known tradition, surprised you don't know about it," Emma joked, earning a small glare from David before he turned to Killian.

"Did you kiss my sister?" David asked, and Mary Margaret pulled on his sleeve.

"Honestly, David, they're adults and can do what they want," She argued, but David had gone into his over-protective-brother mode and it seemed not even his wife could pull him out of it. 

Emma snapped her fingers in David's face, bringing his attention back to her. "No, he didn't kiss me. And even if he had. it would've been none of your business." She snatched the mistletoe out of David's hands. "Even if he had, Kil's one of your best friends and you know he's a good guy. Plus, I know how to take care of myself now. Goodnight," Emma said forcefully.

Mary Margaret was finally able to turn David back around and pull him into their room. Emma tossed Killian the mistletoe. "Probably should've been a bit more careful with that. David's going to kill you," She said, but Killian could see the amusement in her eyes. Without another word, she walked into her room and closed the door. Killian did the same with his. 

Both of them got changed into their pajamas, and Emma sent a text to Killian. They had exchanged numbers sometime during the day. 

I think it's safe to hop over, I can't hear either of them through the wall.

As long as you're sure.

Killian walked into Emma's room through their shared bathroom. 

The two of them spent hours that they probably should've spent sleeping quietly telling each other bad jokes they found on the internet and laughing into pillows to muffle the sounds. 

They didn't talk about their shared kiss from the morning, or how it definitely meant something to both of them, or how Killian had said he wanted to kiss Emma. They only talked about it for about a minute when Killian asked, "Why'd you tell Dave we didn't kiss?"

Emma just grinned at him. "That wasn't what he asked. He asked if you kissed me. And you didn't. I was the one who kissed you," She explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. It made Killian smile.

"Technicalities, Swan."

"Technicalities that kept David from having a heart attack right there in the hall."

That was all that was said on the matter, and they went back to telling jokes. By the time they fell asleep it was around one in the morning, and Emma had her head resting against Killian's chest. They hadn't fallen asleep like that on purpose, but it might not have been completely on accident either. And, by the time they did fall asleep, Emma Swan knew for a fact that she had no idea whether or not she wanted something to happen between her and Killian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naturally, something's going to happen between them. When it's going to happen, though, even I don't know.


	4. Hot Water

Emma woke up warm and happy, which was odd because it was a cold winter morning and she wasn't under a blanket. But she was warm. She opened her eyes and twisted her head around to see a still-sleeping Killian pressed up against her. He was really warm. Emma looked at the alarm clock and almost groaned. It was only 6:37, there was no reason for her to be awake. So, instead of just getting up, Emma rolled over and curled up against Killian, who unconsciously pulled her closer. She didn't mind. She just closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. 

Killian woke up around seven, with his arms wrapped around Emma. He smiled, and then carefully extracted himself and manage to pull the blankets over her without waking her up. He went into their shared bathroom and had just turned on the water when he heard a knock on the door on the side of his room. He opened the door to see David. "You're up early," David commented. He seemed to be getting at something. 

"Um, yeah, mate, I'm about to take a shower," Killian replied, not sure what David was implying. 

David crossed his arms. "Are you sleeping with Emma?" He asked. 

Killian took an involuntary step back. "What? No! Of course not, why would you even think that?" He asked, visibly confused. 

David wasn't ready to give up yet. "The mistletoe from yesterday." Killian ran a hand through his hair. The bathroom was beginning to steam up. "Did you kiss Emma?" David asked. 

Killian crossed his arms. He was getting tired of this version of overprotective-brother. "As Emma answered that same exact question last night, no. Okay? Look, Dave, I appreciate you and Mary Margaret letting me stay here, but I've already told you there's nothing going on between Emma and I. Now, please stop questioning me about it, and I really need to take my shower before all the hot water's gone and Emma kills me when she wakes up," Killian said, a bit forcefully. 

David hesitated a moment, and then nodded. "But, you would tell me if something were going on between you and Emma, right?" He asked. 

Killian shrugged. "Probably. Now please let me take my shower, mate," he said. David nodded again and left, closing the bedroom door behind him. Killian closed the bathroom door and got on with his shower and daily routine. 

 

Emma was absolutely going to kill him. She woke up the second time to the sound of the shower, and got in right after he left. It was a freezing cold shower and she was absolutely going to kill him. 

She had been cold and wanted a nice, burning hot shower and instead it was freezing cold. She finished getting ready before practically stomping downstairs where Killian was peacefully eating breakfast with Mary Margaret and David. "Killian Jones!" Emma almost-shouted. 

Killian's eyes widened. He stood up and muttered, "Uh oh" before literally running out of the house. 

Emma let out a frustrated noise as Mary Margaret and David just exchanged a confused look. Emma was still standing on the last step of the staircase. She pulled out her phone and called Killian. 

He answered on the third ring, sounding slightly out of breath. "Good morning, Swan. I had a lovely night of telling jokes with you last night. Wouldn't you say that was great?" He asked in a desperate attempt to make her not yell at him. 

"Yeah, that was fun, but what isn't fun is waking up on a cold winter day, the morning after Christmas, expecting a nice, hot shower, and getting a fucking freezing cold one," Emma practically shouted into the phone. 

Killian was quiet for a minute as he attempted to come up with a response. "That, ah, sounds terrible, love. I hope you've never had to experience that," he replied. Emma could hear him start up his running again by he sound of his heavy breathing. 

"First of all, you should probably get more into shape. Second of all, that's exactly what I had to deal with this morning, because of you taking all the hot water," Emma said bitterly. 

There was a faint sound that sounded like a bell ringing for a minute in Killian's end. "Yeah, but technically, that's not my fault. It was–oh, wait, one second, love," he paused. Emma heard him order a grilled cheese with onion rings and a hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon to go. 

"Did you run all the way to Granny's?" Emma asked. 

"That I did, because I happen to be very in shape," Killian answered, his breathing slowing down back to normal. "And, as I was saying before, it wasn't my fault I took up all the hot water. It was Dave's," he said simply. 

Emma made a confused face, which confused Mary Margaret and David even more as they totally weren't eavesdropping on the one side of the conversation they could hear. "How's it his fault?" She asked. 

There was the crinkling sound of a bag and a "thank you" from Killian's end before he answered. "I was about to get in the shower and not take up all the hot water, and then Dave came and was grilling me about whether or not we were in a relationship," Killian answered. 

Emma's eyes landed on David, who quickly turned around and pretended he wasn't listening. "Is that so? What did you tell him?" 

"The truth," Killian said simply. "We aren't in a relationship despite how comfy I was last night and I'm assuming you were," he added. 

Emma had a slight smile on her face. "I might've been reasonably comfy. And warm. Anyways, hurry back with that food, I'm gonna go talk to my adoptive and overprotective older brother now," she said and hung up. 

"She means me, doesn't she?" David murmured to Mary Margaret as Emma sat down next to him. 

David turned and smiled at Emma. "Lovely day we're having, care for a waffle?" He offered. 

Emma shook her head. "I'm sure they're delicious but Killian picked me up a grilled cheese from Granny's and I'm kind of excited for it. Anyways, why were you grilling Killian about me and him?" She asked. 

David turned towards Mary Margaret. "Was I? Because I don't think asking a few simple questions counts as grilling him," he replied, dodging the question. 

"Oh yeah? What'd you ask him?" 

David thought for a moment, as if thinking about how to phrase it. "I asked him if you two were sleeping together, and then I asked if you two kissed. Obviously he answered no to both of those," David added quickly. 

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Did you ask him if we kissed or if he kissed me? Because those have two completely different answers," Emma pointed out, causing David to blink. His mouth was slightly open. 

"I-I asked him if he kissed you. You two kissed?"

"Of course we did, there was mistletoe and it's traditional."

"But you said you two didn't!"

"Technically, you asked if he kissed me, which he didn't. I kissed him," Emma said. David didn't know what to do. At that moment, Killian walked in. 

"Jones!" David yelled. 

Emma stood up and grabbed her keys and ran for the door. She grabbed Killian's arm and pulled him out of the house. They jogged to her car. "Get in before David gets up," Emma said and got in the car. Killian did as she said and buckled up, still holding the hot chocolate and take out bag from Granny's. 

"What's going on?" Killian asked as Emma drove away from the house. 

"We're gonna go to the socks for a little bit. I might've told David we kissed, and we should probably give him some time to cool off and give Mary Margaret some time to remind him that we're both adults who can do what we want," Emma answered. She took the take out bag from Killian and the hot chocolate. "Thanks for the food, by the way," she added and began eating. 

Killian shrugged. "Anytime. Plus, I figured you'd be less mad about the water once you had food in you," he said. 

Emma smiled. "Food definitely makes it better, but I can't be mad at you when we're hiding out from David together. And the fact that it was his fault for butting in and making you wait to shower also helps your case," she said. She took a sip of the hot chocolate and got her phone to text Mary Margaret. 

Let me know when it's safe to come back and David won't kill me or Killian. 

Mary Margaret's response of "of course" came almost immediately. 

"Mary Margaret's a true friend. Pun intended," Emma said casually, causing Killian to let out a shaky laugh as he tried to figure out what the pun was. It made Emma laugh. "Kil, there was no pun," she assured him, cutting off his laughter. 

Killian crosses his arms. "Cruel joke, Swan," he said, pretending to be mad. 

Emma just grinned at him. "It's great, though. It makes people laugh at a completely normal sentence as they try to think of the pun," she explained. 

"I know how trickery works," Killian replied flatly. 

Emma just shook her head slightly and continued eating. "I wouldn't call it trickery. I like to call it entertainment," she said between bites. She finished the grilled cheese in what seemed like record time. She took a few sips of her hot chocolate, and then got started on her onion rings. "I gotta say, I'm surprised you remember my order from Granny's. The onion ring part, at least," she added. 

Killian gave her a look. "How could I forget? We were neighbors for four years and every time David and I even mentioned Granny's you asked either to come or for a grilled cheese and onion rings. The first and last time we got you fries you didn't talk to us for three days and you expect me to forget the onion rings?" He asked. 

Emma laughed at the memory. "Fries are good, onion rings are just so much better. Want one?" She pulled one out of the bag and offered it to him. 

Killian shook his head. "I'm alright, I prefer actual food in the morning, but thanks," he added. 

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hey, you're the one who got me this food," she pointed out, gesturing to the take out bag. 

"As a peace offering because I thought you were going to kill me," Killian reminded her. 

Emma was about to respond when her phone buzzed. It was Mary Margaret telling her they could come back. "Looks like David isn't going to kill either of us anymore," she told him and started the car, the heat blowing into it quickly warming both of them up. Emma practically shoved the rest of the onion rings into her mouth before driving back home. 

When they walked into the house, David just gave the two of them a look that closely resembled a glare, but he didn't try to kill either of them, so, it was a start. 

Mary Margaret gave Emma a look and practically dragged her into the kitchen, out of ear-shot of the two men. "Yes?" Emma asked, certain she knew exactly what her friend was about to ask. 

"You kissed Killian?"

Emma nodded. 

"Did he kiss you back?"

Another nod. 

"Did it mean anything?"

Emma hesitated. "It-it was just a dumb mistletoe-tradition kiss." She inwardly cursed when she stuttered, knowing that Mary Margaret would see right through the lie. She also didn't mention that Killian had admitted to wanting to kiss her. It was a lot easier to hold that thought in. 

Mary Margaret gave Emma a knowing look. "So it did. Does he know?" She asked. 

"We didn't exactly talk about it. It just happened and then I changed and we didn't talk about it or if it meant something. Spur of the moment thing," Emma answered. 

Mary Margaret gave her a knowing smile. "I think Killian planned it, which means it doesn't count as a spur of the moment thing. Was last night a 'spur of the moment' thing?" She asked. 

Emma choked on air. "W-what do you mean 'last night?'? Nothing happened last night. We said goodnight, David freaked out over mistletoe, and then we all went to bed," she said. 

Mary Margaret crossed her arms. "So how come when I checked on you early this morning I saw you and Killian asleep together. He had his arm around you, and you both looked pretty happy," she pointed out. 

Emma looked down at her shoes. "Jones might've come into my room after you guys went to bed and we might've spent a while telling each other bad jokes from the internet, and then we might've accidentally fallen asleep next to each other. But there's nothing going on between us, that much is true." She looked up and saw her sister-in-law and best friend smiling. 

"I want you to be happy, Emma. Were you happy last night, telling bad jokes with Killian?" Emma nodded. "Then that's a good thing. Plus, I reminded David that Killian was his best friend and how he already knew Killian was amazing and would treat you right, so I don't think he wants to kill him anymore, and might not be too mad if anything were to happen between you two. One less thing to worry about. Now come on, I've got an announcement to make," Mary Margaret added. Emma followed her out of the kitchen. Mary Margaret grabbed a gift bag and walked over to David and simply handed it to him. "It was supposed to be a Christmas present but I wasn't able to get the bag until this morning," she explained. 

David pulled out the tissue paper and then pulled out a small onesie. It was for a newborn. 

Emma connected the dots first. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Mary Margaret. "Are you...?" She didn't even need to finish the sentence. Her friend grinned and nodded. Emma smiled back. "Congratulations!" She said and hugged her. 

David got it a minute later. He stood up from the couch and faced his wife. "Are you–" he didn't need to finish the sentence either. Mary Margaret nodded. "We're gonna..." he didn't finish the thought as he pulled Mary Margaret into a hug. They were both crying tears of joy. Even Emma couldn't keep the grin off her face. 

It took Killian two minutes longer to understand what was going on. His eyes widened slightly and he turned to Emma, and the married couple were still hugging. "They're gonna be parents?" He asked. Emma nodded as confirmation. He turned to the couple in question. "That's wonderful news, you two will be great parents," he said. He would know, they were practically his and Emma's high school parents. 

There was a knock at the door. Emma took it upon her self to answer it, so that she wouldn't break up the happy couple in that moment. She opened it and the smile slipped off her face as soon as she saw who it was.


	5. Bonding

Neal Cassidy-Gold was one of the worst people Emma had ever met. She stopped liking him and began hating him as soon as he left her to take the fall for those watches, and now he had the audacity to show up at Mary Margaret and David's house with a grin on his face. "Hey, Ems," he greeted her, as if they were still dating and he hadn't framed her for theft.

The grin and happiness Emma had felt melted into white-hot anger. Her hand curled into a fist and, before she could think about it, she punched Neal as hard as she could, right in the nose. Neal groaned and put a hand up to his nose as it started bleeding. He pulled out a thing of tissues and put one up to his nose. "What, did you plan ahead for this?" Emma asked, lacking anything even resembling sympathy, and crossed her arms.

Neal shook his head. "Actually, the tissues were in case you decided to hug me and tearfully cry 'Neal!' because you missed me so much. I mean, it's been like five or six years since we've seen each other. I thought you'd be excited," he explained. It sounded weird and slightly muffled because of his bloody nose.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You thought I'd be happy to see you after you left me for jail?" She asked, her voice flat despite her rising anger. Her knuckles hurt where she had punched him, and she glanced down to see that a bruise was already forming. She looked back up at Neal, who was busy pulling out another tissue.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you didn't go to jail so all was as it should be. Plus, we were in love then, so, yeah, I thought you'd be glad to see the man you loved," Neal argued.

Emma glared at him. "We were sixteen and definitely not in love. I definitely didn't love you," she said.

Neal's nose bleed had calmed into a steady drip into the tissue. "Oh, I get it, I was just a rebound after Jones graduated, then?" He asked, his eyes cold. His dropped his hand to stuff the bloody tissues into his pocket.

Emma punched him again. She managed to hit the same exact spot. "Fuck!" Neal said loudly, almost shouting, and pulled out more tissues.

Emma's hand was in pain now, and she just held it with her other hand. She'd deal with it once Neal was gone. "Jones and I never dated! And I never had a crush on him either. I didn't love you because you left me for jail, Neal!" She yelled at him.

"Swan? Are you alright?" Killian asked, coming up behind her. He was looking at her hand and had gently grabbed it with one of his to inspect it. He looked up and his eyes met Neal's and hardened. He didn't drop Emma's hand.

Neal scowled as best he could with a most-likely-broken nose. "Come to rescue your girlfriend? God, you two are still the same after all these years," Neal said, his tone of voice almost completely changed.

"Considering you're still outside and most likely have a broken nose, I'd say the Lady Swan can take care of herself. Now, you might want to leave before you do more damage to yourself, mate," Killian responded forcefully.

Neal's eyes darted from Emma to Killian, then down to where Killian was still gently holding Emma's injured hand. "Fine. Just thought Emma might want to see all that she's been missing," he said.

Emma shook her head. "I do not miss you, and I haven't. Ever." She slammed the door in his face. "Fuck," she muttered as the anger left her and the pain in her hand set in.

"Language, Emma," David said from across the room. Emma rolled her eyes but muttered an apology.

"Are you alright, Swan?" Killian asked, basically inspecting her hand. It was just bruising.

Emma just blinked. "I'm fine. It's just a bit of a bruise. I'm a lot more proud of hitting him twice in the same spot. It's worth the pain," she said honestly.

Killian looked up and made eye contact. "No, I mean are you alright with the fact you just saw that slime ball who reminded you of the bad in the world," he corrected. He didn't drop her hand or stop staring at her.

Emma was at a loss for words and blinked a few more times. She hadn't realized Killian cared about her mental well-being. Before she knew what she was doing, she had slipped her hand off of his and pulled him into a hug. Naturally, he hugged her back. She buried her face into his shoulder. "Thank you," she mumbled against his jacket.

Killian looked at the top of her head in confusion. "For what? You were the one that punched him," he reminded her.

Emma looked up and let go of him. "You ended the conversation with him. I probably would've been arguing with him forever and maybe hurt my hand a bit more. So thank you," she added.

Killian smiled. "Anytime, Swan."

At this point, Mary Margaret and David decided to come over. "Neal?" David asked, nodding towards the door.

Emma nodded as Mary Margaret inspected her hand. "My hand is fine, honestly, Neal's face looks much worse. I'm fine," she repeated. Mary Margaret stood up straight again.

"I'm going to go get you ice for that. Go sit down and watch tv and ice it," Mary Margaret ordered. 

Emma just nodded again, not entirely in the mood for an argument with her best friend. Seeing Neal and yelling at him had felt good, but it also practically drained Emma's life force. And her hand really did hurt, despite how "fine" she continued saying she was. She sat down on one of the small couches and Killian sat down next to her.

Mary Margaret came out with a paper towel and a bag of ice. Killian grabbed them before Emma could. "I'm a big girl, Jones, I can do it myself," she said, reaching for the bag.

Killian pulled the bag out of her reach. "Swan," he said and let out an exasperated sigh. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You have one uninjured hand, I have two. Let me," he said, a slightly pleading look in his eyes. Emma grumbled something but just nodded again. Satisfied, Killian wrapped her hand with the paper towel and gently laid the ice on top of it and Emma's hand.

Some of the tension drained from Emma's shoulders and the cold ice set in and relieved some of the pain. Killian definitely noticed. "Perfectly fine," he muttered sarcastically. Emma rolled her eyes but didn't respond. She didn't really want to. Neal had really drained the life out of her. She forgot that happened occasionally around him. She kept her hand still and dropped her head against Killian's shoulder. David only glared at Killian for a minute before excepting it.

"So, after the holidays you two are gonna have to get jobs. Any ideas where?" David asked.

Killian shrugged the shoulder Emma wasn't laying on. "I'll probably find something by the docks," he answered.

"I figured I'd help you and Humbert out at the station, if that's okay," Emma said.

David grinned. "That would be great. Graham and I could always use an extra hand, though it is Storybrooke and the biggest thing that happens around here is Will Scarlett attempting to break into various places. Usually while drunk," He added. Emma let out a little laugh.

"At least he gives you something to do," Emma responded. Mary Margaret went into the kitchen and came out a couple minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon. Emma lifted her head as her friend handed it to her. Emma moved the ice off of her hand and Killian let out an exasperated "Swan" at the same time David and Mary Margaret practically yelled "Emma", causing Emma to roll her eyes. The ice fell into Killian's lap, making him curse under his breath as he moved it. "Relax, guys, it's just a bruise, I can hold my hot cocoa better this way, that's all," Emma reassured them.

Killian muttered something under his breath. Emma raised an eyebrow. "I said 'perfectly fine my arse.' Your hand is injured and you are not fine, Emma," he said. Emma was stunned into silence for a moment. He never called her Emma. He had once or twice when they were teenagers but that was it.

Emma didn't answer for another few minutes, just stared at the tv and sipped her hot chocolate. "I didn't know you cared so much," she mumbled, just loud enough to hear. Mary Margaret and David graciously pretended they couldn't hear them.

Killian have her a look. "We're friends, Swan, of course I care," he remarked. Emma didn't respond again or face Killian. She didn't really know how to respond, so she simply sipped more of her hot chocolate.

There was a knock at the door. Emma's shoulders tensed up. Mary Margaret got up and answered the door. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not Neal at the door, it was Mayor Regina Mills. "Madame Mayor, how are you?" Mary Margaret asked.

Regina shrugged. "As well as I can be running a town. But, I didn't come here to talk about my job, I came to give you and David this invitation to the 3rd New Year's Eve party at my house." She glanced past Mary Margaret and into the living room for a moment. "And feel free to bring your kids, too," She added, a ghost of a smile on her face.

Mary Margaret was confused. "But, we don't have any..." she glanced back at Killian and Emma. "Oh, you mean them, don't you?" She asked.

Regina nodded. "They have yet to experience the party, so, naturally, they're invited to." She handed a formal invitation to Mary Margaret before turned around and leaving. Mary Margaret closed the door and came back to the living room.

"What'd she want?" David asked. Mary Margaret tossed him the invitation.

"New Year's Eve party. She said to bring our kids, too."

"But we don't..." David glanced at Emma and Killian. "She was referring to them, wasn't she?"

Mary Margaret nodded.

Emma just shook her head. "Wow, doesn't Regina know we're not teenagers anymore and are actually responsible now?" She asked. David and Mary Margaret gave her looks of disbelief. "Alright, somewhat responsible now?" She emended. "I did just recently graduate from college, I'm a full and proper adult now," she added with a smile.

David laughed. "A full and proper adult without a job? Living at your brother's house?" He asked, but it was clear he was joking around.

Emma shushed him and finished off her hot chocolate. "That part's not important, and I will be getting a job, or did you already forget the conversation we had about ten minutes ago?" She teased.

"Of course not, and I'm sure Graham will enjoy seeing you again," David said, a grin on his face.

Emma ran a hand over her face and groaned. "Please don't remind me of that," she begged.

Killian cocked his head slightly to the side. It reminded Emma of a dog. "What happened between you and Humbert?" He asked.

Emma sighed. "After the whole Neal thing happened, I was kind of lonely. Graham was nice and cool and easy and we were friends. One day he convinced me to come with him at night to the school where he graffited a bad drawing of a single wolf on the wall. I think he lasted almost an entire twenty-four hours before he turned himself in and he got suspended for three days. He thought that was the absolute greatest thing he's ever done. He brought it up everytime I saw him after he graduated. When David found out I was there he gave me the 'don't graffiti things' talk and could barely make it through before he started laughing. I pointed out that Graham did the actual graffiti-ing of the wall, and I have never heard the end of how terrible that drawing of a wolf was," She explained.

David was laughing again. "It was really bad, and I'm never going to let you forget that," He said.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Again, I wasn't the one with the spray paint. That was Graham 'Oh I can totally draw a wolf' Humbert. Make fun of him," She replied, but she was smiling.

David nodded. "Oh, believe me, I do." He wrapped an arm around Mary Margaret, who leaned into his side. 

Emma shook her head. "I don't think it's fair for the two of you to be so cute together. It's been years and I'm still not over it," She said. 

Killian wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "They don't have to be the only cute ones," He said. 

Emma gave him a look. "Except we're not dating," She reminded him. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "but we could" and Emma narrowed her eyes slightly. "What was that?" She asked.

Killian shook his head and smiled. "Nothing," He assured her. It was a very big lie and Emma knew it. However, with David glaring at the two of them, she decided not to push him. Yet. 

David stood up first. "How about we play board games? It's barely noon and we've got nothing else to do," He added. 

The other three adults nodded. "Sounds fun. I just have one condition: Emma ices her hand," Mary Margaret said, turning to her friend.

Emma groaned and tilted her head back against Killian's arm. Oh yeah, she'd forgotten it was there. "I'm fine, honestly," She protested. 

"Then humor us, Swan, it won't kill you to keep the ice on the bruise," Killian said dryly.

After another two minutes of grumbling, Emma agreed and David went to get the board games. Just not monopoly. They didn't want to deal with that again. He came back with a box of Cards Against Humanity. Emma's eyebrows shot up as she exchanged a surprised look with Killian before turned back to David. "I didn't know you guys had this game. Do you, like, actually play this? Because that's completely out of character for both of you and if you say it's not then I will know for a fact that you are an alien and not my brother," She added.

David rolled his eyes. "We have played it before, mostly when Ruby and whoever she's most recently gone out on a date with come over. Sometimes Humbert and Will Scarlett come over and play those nights. It's fun," He said. 

Emma turned to Mary Margaret. "You have played this game? That doesn't sound like the teacher-Mary Margaret I know. How much have you guys changed since I've graduated?" She asked, but didn't wait for her to answer as she turned to Killian. "Did we accidentally step into an alternate reality where Mary Margaret Blanchard-Nolan plays Cards Against Humanity?" She asked.

Killian laughed and shook his head. "I have no idea, but this is definitely going to be fun," He said with a smile. 

As it turned out, Mary Margaret was very good at Cards Against Humanity. Emma was very surprised by that. Killian just found it funny that sweet Mary Margaret would be the one to put down the dirtiest card most rounds. 

They played for hours, drinking hot chocolate that–for everyone except Mary Margaret–had alcohol in it. They stopped playing around 3 in the afternoon, which seemed like way too long to be playing, but it was too funny to stop. David ended up ordering pizza because they were all hungry and no one wanted to cook anything. Mary Margaret put on the tv. Emma laid on the couch, with new ice on her hand as the original ice had melted. Killian sat down on the floor with his back against the couch she was laying on. 

Mary Margaret and David were curled up together on the couch. "I know you, like, just got me more ice for my hand, but it's been three hours, can I please take it off now?" Emma asked. 

David looked frustrated for a minute before sighing. "Yeah, you're probably alright for now," He said. Emma thanked him and gave the bag to Killian, who set it on the coffee table. "I forgot to tell you, I'm so glad you punched that slimebag," David added to Emma.

Emma laughed. "I believe the official term we've been using is slimeball, but I kind of like slimebag better. Either way, did you really expect me not to punch him?" She asked.

"No, I did. Didn't expect you to do it twice, though. Would it make me a bad person to say I hope his nose is broken?" David asked. The other three adults shook their heads.

"I mean, if he wasn't a–are we going with slimeball or slimebag?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma and Killian shrugged. "I think either work. Interchangable or something," Killian answered.

Mary Margaret nodded. "Anyways, I think saying the thing about his nose being broken would only make you a bad person if he wasn't a slimeball and completely deserved it," She said, answering David's question. 

The doorbell rang. "That was fast," David muttered. He got up and grabbed his wallet, then went to answer the door. Thankfully, it was the pizza guy. David paid him and took the pizzas and came back to the living room. He set the boxes on the coffee table, then went and got paper plates from the kitchen. Everyone was happy with the dinner, though it definitely had a bit too much grease on it. Oh well. 

 

They stayed in the living room until probably too late, well, too late for them. It was eleven o'clock, and Emma had a plan forming. She had to tell that plan to someone, so she finally got up from the couch and called Mary Margaret into the kitchen. Of course her sister-in-law came in. "Yes?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma smiled. "So, I might have formed, like, half of a plan for tomorrow morning, but in order for that half-plan to work, you've got to get David out of the house for a while. Please?" She explained.

Mary Margaret's eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course I'll help, but does this plan have anything to do with Killian?" She asked.

Emma gave her a look. "I'm asking you to get David out of the house, what do you think?" She asked.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I'm glad. I'll keep him out for as long as I can. Or until you text me. Sound good?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "You're a lifesaver, M's, don't know what I'd do without you," She said with another smile, then left the kitchen. David stood up. 

"Getting late, we should all probably go to bed," He said. Emma stretched and nodded, then pulled Killian up from the floor. He was probably sitting there for too long. Oh well. He hadn't complained, though. 

They went upstairs and David and Mary Margaret said goodnight before walking into their room. Emma faced Killian. "I think I could go for a few more cheesy jokes right about now," She remarked casually. 

There was a small smirk on Killian's face. "Cheesy jokes it is. We should probably change first, though," He said. Emma nodded. They went into their rooms and changed into much comfier clothes. A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock on Emma's door. she opened it and Killian walked in. "So, are we talking cheesy jokes or puns that are so bad they're good?" He asked. 

Emma laughed as she closed the door and sat on her bed. Killian sat on the floor with his back against the bed. "Surprise me, and sitting on the floor for that long can't be healthy, Kil," She added. 

Killian just shrugged. He had his legs stretched out in front of him and was already looking up bad jokes on his phone. "I like the floor, it's comfy," He said.

Emma gave him a look. "Not as comfy as a bed, but okay weirdo," She joked. She moved her pillow to the end of the bed and had her feet where her head was supposed to go. "You couldn't at least sit closer to the top of the bed? You just had to choose the bottom?" She asked. 

Killian glaced back at her. He was smiling. "Would you like me to move closer to the top of the bed?" He asked.

Emma glared at the back of his head. "Not anymore," She said. Killian laughed and told her a few jokes, finally making her laugh on the third joke. 

At one point, between the twelfth joke and the fifth pun, Emma began running her injured hand through Killian's hair as she was beginning to fall asleep. "Don't use up all the hot water tomorrow. Actually, just wake me up when you get up so I can shower first. It'll make my plans much easier," Emma mumbled, her eyes half-closed.

"Plans?" Killian asked, and Emma gave an affirmative hum. "Am I part of these plans?" He asked. Another hum. "Are you going to tell me what they are tonight?" He asked. 

"Nope," Emme replied, popping the 'p'. "But you'll find out in the morning. Just let me shower first, okay?" She asked.

Killian nodded. "As you wish," He said simply. Emma smiled as she drifted off to sleep, her hand slightly tangled in Killian's hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I do, like, no proofreading before I upload them so I apologize for mistakes that pop up. I think half this chapter was typed on my phone, so it might have a few more spelling/grammar mistakes in it


	6. New Year New Job

Killian shook Emma awake. She grumbled something, but pushed herself up. "Did you just wake up?" She asked, and Killian nodded. He pulled her off the bed. 

"I saved all of the hot water for you this morning. That said, I do ask that you leave me some," He said. 

Emma shrugged and a smile stretched onto her face. "I make no promises. In fact, maybe I'll leave you with the same amount of hot water you left me yesterday," She said. 

Killian gave her a look. "You're...joking, right?" He asked.

She shrugged again. "You'll just have to wait and find out," She said, then pushed him out of her room. She went into the bathroom and turned on the water. 

In the end, Emma left him with some hot water. She heard the shower turn back on, so she practically ran downstairs to get the tape. She only grabbed a piece, and then came back upstairs. She grabbed the mistletoe she had haphazardly thrown into her room two nights before. She managed to tape it to the top of Killian's doorframe, then threw her hair up into a ponytail. She didn't kow how long Killian was going to take in the shower, and she didn't need to blow the plan she made late the night before to blow up in her face because she was blow-drying her hair. Emma was sitting on the floor in the hall, because she needed to be prepared. Her heart definitely wasn't beating a bit too fast. It was just a way of getting him back for pulling the same thing on her. At least, that's what Emma told herself. 

Killian's door was opening, and Emma all but jumped up. Killian gave her a confused look, complete with a small head tilt. "What's going on, Swan?" He asked. 

Emma pointed above his head. He looked up at the mistletoe and he smiled, then looked back down at her. "Tradition, right?" She asked, one of her eyebrows higher than the other. 

Killian leaned against the doorframe. "Is that your way of saying you want to kiss me?" He asked, paraphrasing what she asked him the first time. He copied her eyebrow thing. 

Emma just shrugged. "Maybe." 

"What was it you said at Christmas? You have to actually be under the mistletoe to get the kiss?" Killian asked, standing straight again. Emma nodded and closed the distance between them. It only took a somewhat-large step. Killian's arms wrapped around her waist, and her's ended up around his neck. Neither of them were too sure who kissed the other. Maybe it was a mutual thing, either way, this second kiss was most definitely better than the first, which only lasted a few seconds and was purely lips. That didn't happen this time. It was longer and slow, as if both were testing out the other. 

One of Emma's hands wound up in Killian's still-damp hair. 

The front door opened and practically slammed shut. Emma and Killian broke apart, Emma dropping back onto flat feet. Both of them were breathing slightly heavy. "Fuck," Emma mumbled. Her forehead was still pressed against Killian's. 

"Is that a reaction to the kiss or to your family coming back?" Killian murmured. Emma's hand was still in his hair.

"Yes," Emma answered immediately.

"To which?"

"Yes."

Killian's smile stretched into a full-on grin. He didn't want to let go of her. Unfortunately, it seemed Mary Margaret had other plans. "Emma? Killian? You guys up?" She yelled up the stairs. 

 

Emma let out a small sigh and took two steps back until she was leaning against the wall instead of her brother's best friend. "Yeah, we're up," She called back down. Mary Margaret came up the stairs. She looked between Emma and Killian. Her eyes flitted to Killian's messed-up hair, then to the mistletow, and back to Emma, who understood her friend's unspoken question, and nodded. "Thanks," She said. 

Mary Margaret just smiled. "Anytime." She went back downstairs to her husband, leaving Killian and Emma alone again. 

Killian was leaning against the doorframe again. He hadn't fixed his hair yet. "Was this the plan you were telling me about last night right before you fell asleep?" He asked.

Emma vaguely remembered telling him she had a plan. "Wow, half-asleep me is not good at keeping secrets, but yeah. Mary Margaret knew that it involved you, because last night before bed when I pulled her to the kitchen? I asked her to keep David out of the house for a bit. I know he calmed more about it yesterday, but I have the feeling if he walked up here and we were kissing he would actually kill us," She explained.

Killian reached up and pulled the mistletoe down and tossed it behind him into his room. "And by us, you mean me." He crossed his arms as Emma nodded. 

David essentially ran up the stairs. "What's taking you guys so long? We got pancakes, come on," He said. Emma laughed as he walked back down. She reached over and patted Killian's damp hair down before following her brother to the kitchen.

 

David had found out about the second kiss later that same day, but he hadn't freaked out as much. Mostly he just threatened Killian with death if he ever broke Emma's heart, to which Emma reminded him that they weren't dating, and that was that.

They were all still on vacation, and did basically nothing until New Year's Eve around ten o'clock, when they were due to show up at the Mills-Locksley residence for their annual party. Mary Margaret, David, and Killian only showed up five minutes late, whish was impressive for them considering they were usually late for parties. Robin Locksley opened the door for them and ushered them inside and into the kitchen, where it seemed most of the guests were. The kitchen was connected to the living room, where the tv was playing live footage of the giant ball getting ready to be dropped in almost two hours. There was a countdown in the corner of the screen.

More people were outside in the backyard. A small child came running into the kitchen from outside and launched himself at David. "David!" Little seven-year-old Roland Locksley shouted, thankfully it was slightly muffled as he yelled it into David's legs. David picked him up, though he was probably getting a bit big for that. 

"Hey, Rol. Do you remember my little sister Emma?" David asked, swinging him towards Emma, who waved. Roland shook his head. "That's okay, you were really small when she left, but now that she's living in Storybrooke again you probably should try not to forget her. Can you do that?" He asked. Roland nodded. 

"Did you see the snow?" He asked, changing the subject completely, making Emma chuckle. 

David nodded. "Yeah, we almost got attacked by it on our way here–oh, here comes your brother," He said and set Roland down as Henry Mills weaved his way over. 

Henry was smiling. "Mom's sending me around to greet everyone, so here's the formal greeting...I guess? I don't really know how to 'formally greet' people," He apologized. 

"Don't sweat it, kid, I'm twenty-three years old and I'm not even sure how to 'formally greet' people," Emma joked. Henry's eyes widened and it appeared he just realized Emma was there.

"Emma!" The eleven-year-old almost-yelled, and hugged her.

Emma laughed. "Hey, kid. You're a lot taller than I remember you being," She commented as Henry pulled himself away from her. 

"I'm also a few years older, and growing goes hand-in-hand with getting older," Henry replied. He was still smiling. "Anyways, I gotta go greet other people. Bye!" He said as he left to talk to more people, taking Roland with him. Mary Margaret left to find Regina, while David went to find Graham. That left just Killian, Emma, and Robin, who made his way over to them holding drinks. He handed the drinks to them.

"How's the bar doing?" Emma asked.

"Pretty good. Would it be rude of me to say I'm surprised you haven't showed up?" Robin asked. 

Emma took a sip of her drink and shrugged. "Just a bit, but I won't take offense. I really have been meaning to stop by, but it's so nice to do absolutely nothing at home after four years of not being home," She said. Robin nodded.

Killian looked between the two, finally settling on Robin. "I'm sorry, did you say that Robin 'Bars-are-dumb-and-we're-not-going-to-one' Locksley owns a bar?" He asked.

Robin laughed. "First of all, yes, I've owned the Rabbit Hole for five years now? I think five. Second of all, we were eightteen and everyone in town knew us, there was know way they were going to let us into that bar," He told Killian. 

"So in retailiation you bought it?" Killian teased him, and Robin nodded.

"Yeah, something like that."

Emma cut into the conversation. "Either your security got lax or you just didn't care because I was in that bar all the time senior year," She pointed out.

Robin shrugged. "You mostly ate onion rings and I was there to make sure you didn't get any alcohol because unlike Killian, I'm a responsible adult," He said.

Killian's jaw dropped open in surprise for a moment, and then he barked out a laugh. "I was totally a responsible adult when we were eightteen, I don't know what you're talking about," he said, a smile on his face as he sipped his drink. 

Emma laughed at Killian's statement. "Oh yeah, a 'totally responsible adult' that couldn't hold his rum and brought a fifteen-year-old to parties?" She asked. 

Killian waved a hand through her question. "That doesn't matter, you're fine aren't you?" He asked, and Emma nodded.

"I guess so, but Robin is definitely more responsible than you, sorry, Kil," She said.

Killian's jaw dropped open again. He mumbled something that sounded like 'traitor' as he drank more–was that beer? Definitely beer. 

Ruby spotted them and made her way over. "Emma! We still haven't had a time to catch up. We need a girl's night with Mary Margaret," She said, holding a half-filled glass of wine. 

Emma nodded. "I know, soon. Like, this weekend or next weekend. Have you talked to M's yet?" She asked. 

Ruby shook her head. "She was talking to Regina when I passed her a minute ago. Didn't really want to interrupt," she added. She turned to Robin, ignoring Killian completely. He turned to Emma as Ruby and Robin walked outside. 

"Did she actually just ignore me?" He asked. Emma was attempting to cover her laughs with coughs. It wasn't really working. After she was done laughing, she nodded. "Wow. I thought I was her friend. Guess not," Killian muttered, and Emma could hear the slight bitterness. 

She put her hand on his arm. "It's Ruby, she gets sidetracked. She probably meant to say hi and then saw Robin and remembered something else," she assured him, then dropped her arm against her side again. 

Killian shook his head. "You're probably right. Not like I won't see her next time I go Granny's," he pointed out. His eyes drifted around the room and landed on Regina before falling back to Emma. "Oh, I meant to ask Robin, how long have he and Regina been married? And I remember little Henry, but who's–what did Dave call him? Rol?" He asked. 

"Oh yeah, they got married...four? Five years ago? I think closer to five. The wedding happened during my senior year of high school. Surprisingly low-key. And Robin was married for a few years to Marian...something. I can't remember her last name. The two of them had Roland, and then Marian...died in a car crash," Emma's voice got a little quieter and sad. "A few years later, Robin met Regina and they fell in love and got married and now she's Regina Mills-Locksley," She finished the story and downed half her drink. "And Robin bought the bar only a few months after you left. How he had the money, I'm not sure, but he had it and bought the Rabbit Hole and I went there more than I should've senior year," Emma added, answering Killian's next question. 

He raised an eyebrow. "Emma Swan, knower-of-all," he teased. 

Emma just shrugged. "You wanted to know," she pointed out. 

There was music playing outside. Emma placed her almost-empty glass on the counter and went outside. With nothing else to do, Killian followed her. 

The backyard was huge. Emma turned and said as much to Killian when he stopped next to her. The music got louder. Emma turned towards the speaker and–wow, Regina had actually gotten a DJ. Probably Henry's idea. "Madam Mayor has really changed since I've been gone," Killian mused. Emma nodded and turned back towards him. 

"She's gotten a bit more lax since meeting Robin. Seems happier," Emma almost had to yell to be heard over to music that was practically shaking her. Killian gently pulled her a few more feet away from the speakers. 

 

At 11:55, Regina turned on a projector outside. It was hooked up to her laptop, which had the countdown and the ball drop broadcast from Times Square on it. It only took another minute to get the sound working. 

Emma, who hadn't left Killian's side the entire night, huddled closer to him. She'd had three drinks and was working on a second helping of eggnog, but they weren't really warming her up. Killian wrapped an arm around her, pulling her even closer. "How are you always so warm?" Emma asked. 

Killian looked down at her. "How are you always cold?" He countered. Emma laughed a little and turned her head back to the projection, where they had begun the minute-countdown. 

The countdown got to ten, and everyone was shouting and counting down. At zero, Emma pushed up on her toes and gave Killian a quick kiss. He was still for a second. "Should've warned me that was going to happen. We could've had a replay of that second mistletoe kiss from the other day," He said, smirking. 

Emma rolled her eyes, but she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "In the Mills-Locksley backyard and gross everyone out?" She asked. 

Killian shrugged. "When you put it that way it doesn't sound as fun," he replied. Emma laughed and the two walked inside and out of the cold. It took a few minutes, but they finally found Mary Margaret and David. Thankfully, neither said anything about Killian still having his arm around Emma. 

"You two ready to go home?" David asked. Emma and Killian nodded. 

They said goodbye to everyone they passed, and sent a half-asleep Henry towards Robin, as Regina was saying goodbye at the door to those who were leaving. 

There were no cheesy jokes that night as Emma went to sleep, mostly because of the drinks pretty much knocking Emma out as soon as she put her head on the pillow.

 

David forced Emma to go to work with him January second, which meant the holidays were officially over for her. Mary Margaret still had a week until she had to go back and teach tiny children. And, because she didn't want to suffer alone, Emma forced Killian awake so he would go out a get a job. 

Seeing Graham wasn't quite as agonizing as she thought it would be. "Well, if it isn't Emma Swan. Here to take my job?" He said when she walked through the door. 

Emma smiled and shrugged. "Maybe. I'm at least gonna be working with you, but if you bring up the spray paint wolf one time I will refuse to talk to you because no matter what you say that wolf sucked and we are both adults now," She said, getting straight to the point. 

Graham nodded. "I think I can manage that. Can you tell David to stop bringing it up, too?" He asked, glancing at the man mentioned. 

David shook his head. "We could be old and on our deathbeds and I would still bring it up, sorry Humbert," he said. Graham just made a face. Emma walked over and sat on his desk as David sat at his own. "So the way things work around here are: Graham mostly covers nights, I mostly patrol the streets, and Will Scarlett is a regular. He has three main places he breaks into. The ice cream shop, Granny's, and the drugstore down the street," David listed, giving Emma the rundown. 

"Used to be the library, too, but Belle just extended the hours so it's not breaking in anymore," Graham added. 

Emma crossed her arms. "So what you're saying is that nothing really happens here?" She asked. 

David shrugged. "You knew this, Em. Oh, sometimes Leroy will get drunk and angry and we have to take him in. We get the occasional drunk driver who hits a pole," he said. "But, you also get to carry a gun and a badge, so there is an upside to working here. Unfortunately, there's somehow always paperwork to be done. A lot of it. Bows as good a time as any to start some." He pointed to a stack of paper on his desk and Emma groaned. 

Killian, on the other hand, went down to the docks looking for a job and ended up running into an old friend, who just happened to be hiring. 

William Smee was short and round and ready to give Killian a job on the spot. Killian asked what the job was first. Smee said it would be cleaning up the ships and boats that were there, and occasionally working shop duty and gutting fish. “But, you’re gonna smell like fish and bait when you’re working in the shop and gutting fish,” Smee warned him. Killian accepted the job regardless. Smee was ecstatic. Killian started working that same day. 

All in all, not a bad week for Emma or Killian.


	7. Kind-of A Date

February 7th. Emma'd been working at the sheriff's station for just over a month and didn't know how much longer she could stand sharing a bathroom. It wasn't that he was messy, because he wasn't, it was the fact that he'd taken to knocking on her entrance to the bathroom after showering–when he showered before her–and then lingering for an extra second longer than he needed too, dripping wet with just a towel wrapped around his waist. It was becoming infuriating, mostly because she couldn't do anything about it, definitely what she actually wanted to do about it. David would certainly kill one of them if anything happened between them under his roof. 

So, mostly because of this, Emma decided to go apartment searching. She and David took a half-day at the station and he went with her to find an apartment. A realtor named Fa Mulan was the one to help Emma. She was a friend of Ruby's, and highly recommended. By Ruby. But Mulan was good. She was able to tell when Emma didn't actually like one of the apartment they looked at despite Emma saying how, no really, it was pretty nice. 

Seven apartments and three hours. It wasn't until the eighth apartment that Emma could actually imagine herself living there. It was a loft, had a bedroom and a bathroom a little off the entrance, and it had a staircase that lead up to another bedroom. There was a bathroom just off the kitchen, which was connected to the living room. It was nice and Emma liked it and David even approved of it–not that he needed to, of course. "This is great, but it does have an extra bedroom, which means room for one more," he said casually as Emma signed the papers for it. 

Emma knew what he was getting at. There was a pretty big chance Mary Margaret put him up to it. "If you mean Killian, he's looking for apartments tomorrow and he's not gonna end up living here. You can report that back to Mary Margaret," Emma said, then thanked Mulan for her help and everything. 

Emma now had an apartment. Mulan gave her the keys. There were two extras. She put them on the kitchen counter and left to go back to David's house with him. It was already 5:30, which meant Mary Margaret was starting dinner. She insisted on making something as a "going-away dinner" because she knew Emma was going to find an apartment, and it doubled as Killian's going-away dinner, just a day early. 

Whatever Mary Margaret was cooking, it smelled good. David walked into the kitchen and greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek. "What smells so good?" Emma asked, standing in the doorway. 

"Tater tot casserole," Mary Margaret answered. 

Emma smiled and left to put her things upstairs. The shower was on, which meant Killian was home and that he'd either had to gut fish or work in the shop. Those were the only times he showered right after work. The water cut off and a minute later a knock on the door came. Emma just shook her head lightly and got up and opened the door. 

Killian was, as always when he did this, dripping wet and only wearing a towel. He seemed surprised that Emma actually opened the door, though. "Swan, you're back," he said, pointing out the obvious. 

Emma nodded. "Yeah I got home like two minutes ago. Why'd you knock if you didn't think I was back?" 

Killian shrugged and pushed his wet hair back. "Habit, I guess. I'm assuming you found an apartment?" He asked, and Emma nodded. 

"It's pretty nice. I don't have any furniture, though," She said. Her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. "I'm taking tomorrow off of work to move my minimal amount of stuff to my apartment, but I need to buy a couch and a bed and I know for a fact you do too, want to knock out that shopping together?" She asked. 

Killian grinned. "I'd love to. I can knock out everything in one day," he said, the last part muttered to himself. "I really need to dry off and get changed. You head downstairs and I'll be down in a few minutes, okay?" He asked. Emma nodded as he turned and walked into his own room. 

 

The next day, when Emma went downstairs for breakfast, Killian stopped her. "What do you think you're doing, Swan?" He asked. 

Emma turned around to look at him. "Uh, making...breakfast?" She said, shaking the box of cereal in her hand.

Killian shook his head. "Nope, sorry, not happening."

"You're not going to let me eat breakfast? It's the most important meal of the day, Kil, come on." Killian gave her a slightly exasperated face. 

"We're making a day out of shopping for my apartment and furniture. I'm a gentleman which means I'm going to buy you food. Is that allowed?" He asked. 

Emma set the cereal down and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you turning today into some sort of date?" She asked. One of Killian's eyebrows moved up slightly as he moved closer to her until they were only a few inches apart. She could kiss him again. She didn't move.

"Do you want it to be a date?" Killian murmured. His eyebrow was still up. 

Emma's head tilted slightly to the side. She didn't break eye contact. "Do you?" 

The corner of Killian's mouth twitched into a half-smile. "I might," He admitted. "But this is about what you want, Swan," He added.

What Emma really wanted to kiss him. Again. She didn't. "I...think we should go get breakfast. I'm starving," She said. Killian was slightly disappointed, but not discouraged. 

He took a step back and gave her a slight nod of his head. "As you wish." He lead the way out of the house and to his car, where he was a gentleman and opened the door for Emma, who rolled her eyes but got in the car anyway. "And, we're not even going to Granny's for breakfast. No, I'm not going to tell you where," He added, answering her question before she asked it. Emma glared at him but stayed silent as he drove to the new-ish breakfast joint. 

Killian practically ran over to Emma's side of the car so he could open it for her. It made her laugh. "Pulling out all the stops on this maybe-date, huh?" She asked. 

Killian smiled and shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe I'm just a gentleman," He countered as they walked into the restaurant. They sat down and their waitress, a girl with very red hair, came over. 

"Ariel? Mary Margaret told me you were a substitute teacher. What're you doing here?" Emma asked. 

Ariel smiled. "Part-time sub. The rest of the time I'm here, but that also might be because I'm engaged to the head cook here," She said. Emma and Killian congratulated her. "Anyway, can I get you two started with something to drink?" She asked. Killian got water and Emma got hot chocolate with cinnamon. Ariel walked away. 

"Catch me up, Swan. Who's Ariel and who's that head chef?" Killian asked as soon as Ariel was out of earshot.

Emma laughed at him. "Honestly, Kil, you have to get caught up on everyone from Mary Margaret instead of me, but Ariel and Eric–the cook–were a grade ahead of me and liked each other I think the entire time they were high school but didn't start dating unti they after they graduated and I hung out with them some days, but most of the time I was near them I felt like a third wheel and they weren't even dating at the time," She explained. 

Killian shook his head slightly. "First of all, no offense to Mary Margaret but I enjoy listening to you talk more than I do with her. Second of all, there are too many people to remember to ask about all of them and–it's quite weird really–most of the time I run into people I'm with you," He pointed out. 

Emma shrugged, and definitely did not blush even a little bit when Killian said he liked listening to her. "Go and ask M's for a rundown of what you've missed tonight. I'm sure she'd gladly do that," She said and Ariel came back and gave them their drinks, then took their orders. 

When they had eaten breakfast–Killian slapped Emma's hand away from the check so he could pay, then apologized for slapping her hand–they met up with Mulan at a potential apartment for Killian down by the docks. There was a surprising amount of waterfront realestate for rent. 

Mulan showed them around the apartment. It wasn't very big, just one bedroom and bathroom and the general kitchen and living room. Killian shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to face Emma. His hair was falling into his eyes. He really needed a haircut. 

Emma, without thinking, reached her hand up and brushed his hair up and out of his face.

Maybe he didn't need a haircut. "What'd you think?" He asked.

Emma shrugged, glancing around. "Seems pretty okay," She said.

Killian tilited his head, and his hair fell again. "You don't seem sold on this place," He pointed out as Emma fixed his hair again. 

"I'm also not the one that's going to be living here," She reminded him, tugging on the end of her red leather jacket. 

"Just because you're not living here doesn't mean I don't value your opinion in apartments," He pointed out, and Emma bit her lip in her effort to not smile at that. It didn't really work. 

Killian was a lot less picky in his choice of apartments than Emma was, and he found the one for him on the third apartment they went into. It was still small, but Killian reminded Emma that it was just going to be him living there. He could deal with small, as long as it was his. He signed the leasing agreement, thanked Mulan, then he and Emma made their way to the mattress store. 

They were in the mattress store longer than it took Killian to find an apartment, mostly because they were trying every single mattress out. Twice. They ended up choosing the same mattress, but different bed frames. Before they went to lunch, they paid for the beds and went to Emma's apartment to put the pieces of her bed in her room. "Big. For one person," was all he said about the apartment. 

Emma just shrugged for what felt like the hundreth time that day. "I like having space," She said simply, and then they'd drove back to Killian's new apartment so he could have the pieces of his bed. 

They went to Granny's for lunch, because it was Granny's and they were hungry. Killian wanted to pay, but Emma glared at him and told him not to argue as she paid Ruby, who was attempting to hold back her laughter. 

Instead of eating in Granny's, Killian drove them down to the docks and they sat on a bench facing the water as they ate. "I really would've paid for lunch if you let me," Killian pointed out, earning another glare from Emma.

"You paid for breakfast, I pay for lunch. That's how it works," She argued.

"How what works?"

Emma gestured between the two of them. "This. Us. Whatever's going on between us." Killian looked at her, and Emma could see the question in his eyes. "I don't know what 'this' is, but it's something and I think I'd rather just eat and not be confused about this right now," She said, answering his question. She looked away from him and bit into her grilled cheese. Killian nodded. 

"Okay, no questions about what 'this' is. Can I ask you questions about other things, though?" He asked.

Emma sent him a quizzical look. "Like what?"

Killian grinned. "Like how many inches in a mile. And whatever else that song asks," He said.

Emma laughed. "You know the words to that song?" She asked. Killian nodded.

"When I was living at Liam and Elsa's, I hated driving so Elsa would, and every single time we got in that car that was the first song she played. Every single time. It sticks with you after the fiftieth time you hear it," He explained. Emma scooted closer to him.

"What? It's cold out. You're warm," She said, when he looked at her with one of his eyebrows up. He just laughed and wrapped his arm around her. 

"Better?" Emma nodded. Killian decided that he didn't care about whatever 'this' was. It was a bit more than friends and a bit less than dating, but that was okay because they'd fallen asleep in the same bed several times that month, although Killian did wish it involved a little more kissing. That was okay, though, he could wait. "We should really go get couches and whatever," He said, but neither of them made any move to get up from that bench. 

It wasn't evem that comfy of a bench. Emma didn't say anything. They bost just stared off at the water, lost in their own thoughts. Emma realized she and Mary Margaret still hadn't had a girl's night with Ruby. Maybe tey could do that on the weekend.

Both of them jumped abit when Emma's phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered as soon as she saw Mary Margaret's name. "Hey, M's, what's up?" She asked.

"Just on my lunch break and wanted to see how your date with Killian was going," Mary Margaret said casually. Emma choked on air and sent a glance to Killian, who was pretending not to listen but he could totally hear everything. The tips of his ears were a little red, and Emma didn't think it had anything to do with the cold. 

"I told you last night, it's not a date," Emma said once she could breath again. 

"Sure it's not."

"It's not!"

"Hanging out all day isn't a date? I'm assuming he bought you breakfast or lunch or something, and you're saying it's not a date?" Emma closed her eyes. She and Killian hadn't actually decided if it was a date or not. It was kind of a date. 

She opened her eyes. "Yes, I'm saying exactly that." She could practically see Mary Margaret rolling her eyes. "It's just...hanging out doing things we don't want to do alone. It'd be boring, and now it's not," She argued. 

Mary Margaret sighed. "Em, you know I just want you to be happy, and I think you should give Killian a chance. You have already kissed him twice," She pointed out.

Killian managed to turn his laugh into an almost-convincing cough. Emma glared at him before squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm not going to talk about this right now," She mumbled, just loud enought for Mary Magaret and Killian to hear.

Mary Margaret gasped. "He's sitting right by you and can hear everything, can't he?" 

"Yup."

"Sorry. Hi Killian!" Emma hadn't opened her eyes and could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks. 

"Tell her I say hi, Swan," Killian said. She didn't have to open her eyes to know he was smiling. 

"Killian says hi," Emma said to the phone. 

Mary Margaret was eating and didn't respond for a moment. "Right, well, one of my students is now at my door, so I've got to see what she wants. Finish your shopping. See you later."

Emma had barely said bye before Mary Margaret hung up. She finally opened her eyes and turned to Killian. "So, uh, can we not talk about anything Mary Margaret said on that phone call? Please," She added. Killian stared at the water and made a noise that neither agreed or disagreed. "Killian."

"Emma."

Emma's nose scrunched up. "That's unnatural," She muttered.

"What is?"

"You calling me Emma."

Killian barked out a laugh. "It is your name, is it not?"

Emma swatted his side lightly. "You know what I mean," She said.

Killian nodded. "I'll agree to not talking about what M's said on that phone call for right now, as long as you agree that we talk about it at somepoint," He said, bringing the conversation back to it's original point. 

Emma nodded. "Okay, somepoint in time we'll talk about it," She agreed. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, and then Emma finally got up and held out her hand for Killian. "If we don't leave this bench now we never will," She pointed out, wiggling her fingers until Killian grabbed her hand and she pulled him up. Neither one let go of the other's hand until they got to Killian's car and had to let go. Maybe it was turning into more of a date than Emma told Mary Margaret. She forced the thought out of her head as Killian drove them to the furniture store. They got out at the store, and Emma's hand found Killian's as they walked out of the cold and into the warmth of the store. Emma tried not to think about how hand fit with Killian's perfectly. 

They wandered around the store, pointing out couches and coffe tables that were in their price ranges. It took a while to find couches and coffee tables that they liked and could afford, and then took even longer to find a worker to sell them. Because Killian was a gentleman, as he kept reminding her, they went to Emma's apartment first and got her couch positioned the way she wanted it to be, and the pieces of her unassembled coffee table were set on the floor. They dropped Killian's stuff off at his apartment and drove right back over to Emma's, so Killian could help her put things together. There was a reason he put David's tools in the back of his car. 

Killian got started on the coffee table when Emma groaned. "I completely forgot about getting a tv. And I need to call the WiFi guy," She complained, laying out across her new couch. It was pretty comfy. Killian laughed at her slight-dramatics.

"So call the internet guy and after he's here, go get yourself a tv," He suggested. 

"But I can't really miss more work this week and the WiFi guy isn't going to be able to come over today because they never come on the same day," Emma pointed out, and ran a hand over her face. "Whatever, I'll just live without WiFi until Saturday. It's only a few days away," She said.

Killian just silently shook his head. "It's Storybrooke, business is slow, call the WiFi guy," He said, reading through some instructions. 

Emma pulled out her phone and found the number for the WiFi guy, and called him. He could be over aorund three. That was only an hour and a half away. Emma told him that would be great and thanked him and then hung up. "So, you think you'll be here around three?" She asked Killian. He was already a quater of the way done putting the table together.

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to, Swan," Killian replied. Emma knew he wasn't just talking about that day. 

She smiled at him. "Good."

When the WiFi guy showed up around three, Killian was almost done with Emma's bedframe. The guy set up the WiFi, asking Emma a few questions about where she wanted it and it didn't actually take all that long to set it up, surprisingly. Well, it was surprising to Emma. She hooked her phone up to her new WiFi as she thanked the guy and he left. Killian finished putting her bed together and putting the mattress on it. "Come and see your new bed," He said. Emma followed him into her room. 

She liked the bed she picked out. There were drawers on the bottom of it, so she didn't need to get a dresser. She needed a bookshelf. And a tv. And probably a list of other things that she would end up thinking up that night. "Thanks for putting that and the table together for me," She said, and Killian turned to face her. He was smirking and stepped closer. 

"Is that all I get? A 'thanks'?" He asked.

Emma was smiling. "What would you like as thanks?" She asked. She had a pretty good idea of what he was getting at. Killian shrugged and his fingers tapped against his lips and he gave her a pointed look. It was such a dumb look that Emma laughed, but she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and her lips crashed against his. It took approximately point two seconds for Killian to wrap his arms around her and kiss her back. 

Emma hadn't meant to start making out with Killian Jones in the middle of her new bedroom in her new apartment, but that's what ended up happening. She had to force herself to remember to breath through her nose because she did not want to stop kissing him. At some point, Emma's shirt had ridden up slightly, and Killian's hands found bare skin. She felt him smile against her mouth when he felt the goosebumps he gave her. They broke apart a minute later, both breathing heavy and attempting to get oxygen. "I think we need to remember to breath," Emma murmured. Her forehead was resting against his and one of her hands wound up in his hair. 

Killian smiled. "Oxygen is a necessity, love," He said. His fingers were tracing patterns on the small bit of skin that was revealed. 

Once both of them had their breath back, Killian moved first and they ended up making out for several more minutes in the middle of Emma's bedroom in her new apartment. When Emma finally pulled away, Killian made a noise that made Emma giggle. She hadn't actually giggled since she was little. "We really need to get back to M's and David's. I need to bring the rest of my stuff over," She said, but she hadn't actually let go of him yet. 

"Or we could stay here and make out for the rest of our lives," Killian suggested. 

Emma laughed. "As fun as that sounds, both of us have things to do," She pointed out.

Killian let out a dramatic sigh. "You're right, of course, but if we stay here a bit longer you might get to see Mary Margaret and David when you get the rest of your stuff," He said. Emma grinned.

"I would, but then we'll never leave and it'll be like the bench all over again," She argued. Killian let out another dramatic sigh.

"Alright, love, you're right again and we really should get going," He agreed and reluctantly let go of her. Emma dropped her hands down to her sides. 

"And, uh, unless you want to be questioned by Mary Margaret the moment she sees you, you should probably fix your hair," Emma said. Killian flattened his hair as they left the apartment. They drove to David and Mary Margaret's house in comfortable silence. Neither one of them were actually home. Emma finished packing her suitcase and pulled it downstairs and into her car herself, despite Killian's protesting that he could take it down for her. Once she had her suitcase in the back of her Bug, she came back inside to say bye to Killian, who was sitting on one of the couches with a frown. "Thanks for the kind-of-date today. It was fun," She said, lightly kicking one of his shoes. 

"Do you have to go right now?" He asked. 

Emma crossed her arms. "Yes, but we'll still see each other pretty often because this is Storybrooke and it's very small," She reasoned. Killian stood up and pulled her into a hug. Emma buried her face into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't have too much fun without me," She said, though it was slightly muffled. 

They broke apart from the hug and Emma started walking towards the door. "Bye, Kil, I'll talk to you later," She said. 

"Talk to you later, Swan," Killian echoed and she left the house. 

It occured to her after she had made multiple trips from her car to her apartment bringing her small number of boxes up that she had no food in her fridge. She decided to stop at the store on her way home from work tomorrow and ordered pizza. 

 

Mary Margaret absolutely started interrogating Killian as soon as she walked through the front door at 4:30. "How was today?" She asked. 

"Fun. Successful. I got my apartment and a bed and furniture. Swan got her bed and furniture, and her WiFi. She forgot to get a tv, though," Killian answered. He combed his hair down with his fingers, just to make sure it was flat. 

"Was it a date?" Mary Margaret asked, now sitting across from him. 

Killian shrugged. "Kind of? I mean, Swan wasn't lying when she told you it was mostly to do boring stuff with someone not-boring," He responded.

Mary Margaret crossed her arms. "Kind of? How can something be 'kind of' a date?" She asked, and she was most definitely using her teacher voice now. 

Killian grimaced slightly and attempted to push himself into the couch. "Um, when it's only partially a date?" He answered.

"Was that a question?" Killian nodded. Mary Margaret laughed. "Was there a goodbye kiss when she left?" She dropped her teacher voice.

Killian scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, not really. There was a goodbye hug, though," He answered, not telling her the full truth.

Mary Margaret could tell he was hiding something. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Not really? Was there any kissing? Was it just not when she left here?" She asked.

Killian's eyes darted to the door. He was hoping David would walk in and he wouldn't have to answer, and his ears were definitely red, which didn't help at all. "There was kissing," He confirmed. 

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are you two actually dating or just doing some version of friends with benefits, just with kisses instead of sex?"

Killian's eyes darted to the door again. "I...don't really know. We didn't really talk about it," He answered honestly. 

Mary Margaret uncrossed her arms and her gaze softened. "She didn't want to talk about it, did she?" She asked. Killian nodded. "She's been that way since Neal. I think she went on one date after the whole thing with him, and the kid never showed up again. She told me about one guy she dated in the entire four years that she's been gone, and he ended up being awful," She reasoned. 

"She knows me, though. We're friends. Shouldn't that count for something?" Killian argued. 

"Talk to her about it, not me," Mary Margaret said. 

David, of course, chose that moment to walk through the door. "Hey," He greeted them, then walked over to give his wife a kiss. "You two ready for the amazing dinner of left-over casserole?" He asked. 

Killian grinned. "Sounds great."

 

It was well past midnight. Emma shouldn't be awake. She didn't want to be awake. She was tired and really wanted to sleep, but for some reason she couldn't. Finally, before thinking about what she was doing, she grabbed her phone and called him. 

Killian picked up on the third ring. "Swan?" He asked. His voice was a bit scratchy.

"Oh shit, I woke you up, didn't I?" She asked, dragging a hand over her face.

"Of course not," He attempted to assure her, but his voice was still scratchy and he sounded tired.

Emma shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her. "You know you can't lie to me. Sorry I woke you up," She apologized.

"Don't worry about it, love. What're you still doing awake? Don't you have to work in the morning?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have to work tomorrow. Technically today. As for why I'm awake, it's not by choice. I'm really tired, my brain just won't shut off and let me," Emma answered. 

"Maybe talking will help tire your brain out," Killian said, and Emma smiled.

"Hopefully."

"Can we talk about what Mary Margaret said on the phone today? It is currently 'somepoint in time' after all," Killian added.

Emma hesitated a moment. "The part about her thinking I should give you a shot, I'm assuming?" She asked.

"That would be the part," Killian confirmed. 

Emma ran her hand over her face again. "M's has pretty much been my personal cheerleader since...well, since we met, but that's obvious. You also already know that she believes in true love and the whole 'happily ever after' thing. And it worked for her. She and David are most definitely meant for each other, and now their going to have a kid and it's completely perfect for them. Still awake?" Emma asked.

"Still awake. Continue, if you will," Killian answered. 

"I dated Neal and I was kind of happy, and then he ended up being a slimeball and I wasn't happy in any way, shape, or form. I left for BU and searching for something. I don't really know what. I got an english degree and now here I am, back in this small town that holds my best and one of my worst memories and I love it here. I don't want to leave again, and I don't plan on it, either, but...I just...I don't know. M's is very convinced that my happy ending is out there, but it's kind of hard to believe, mostly because I'm not a fairytale princess. One of the farthest things from it, probably. 

"She sees the way I act around you, Kil. I'm happy when we hang out. The other day she pointed that out. Apparently around you is the happiest she's seen me in a while," Emma admitted, and she bit her lip. 

"I like hanging out with you too, Swan," Killian replied, and he didn't sound quite as tired as he did before. That was probably a problem. 

"And so, because she sees that I'm happy around you, she thinks I should give you  chance," Emma finished. She probably could've just said that, but it was too late now. 

Killian was quiet for a second. "I have to say, I agree with her," He said, making Emma smile.

"That's reassuring. The thing is, we're really good friends and so many things could go wrong and I can't...I wouldn't be able to handle losing you," She admitted. She could feel her eyes watering and she quickly wiped at her eyes, getting rid of the tears that she absolutely did not want to deal with. 

"You'll never lose me, Swan, I promise," Killian said, and Emma could hear the sincerity in his voice. 

Emma had to swallow down the lump of emotion in her throat. It was almost one in the morning and she did not want to deal with that. "You can't really promise that. I mean, before Christmas I hadn't seen you in, what, eight years almost?" She asked. 

"You said when you left you were searching for something. I told you the night you tried to run away a decade ago that I wasn't entirely content here. When I left I was looking for something, too. I didn't really know what. I thought I found it with Milah, but then she left. It's been a month and a half I've been in this town, most of it with you, and I...I have no intent to leave permanently, unless it's with you," Killian said. 

What was it with late night confessions? He was too far away for them to be having this conversation, and he was only three minutes away. "Feelings can change," Emma pointed out. 

"Trust me, Emma, please. Follow Mary Margaret's advice and give me a shot, and if we don't work out, I promise we will still be friends. Nothing could change that," Killian said. 

Emma was quiet for a minute. "Okay," She whispered. 

"What? I couldn't make out what you said," Killian said. He sounded wide awake.

"I said okay. I'm giving us a chance. But, can we hold up on the fancy dinner dates for a while? I don't think I actually own a dress that fits me," Emma explained. She knew Killian was grinning. If she closed her eyes, she could see it. 

"That's completely okay with me, love, and if I was over there with you I'd kiss you again," He said, and she laughed. She was finally starting to fall asleep. 

"I don't think I can stay awake much longer. Talk to you tomorrow?" Emma asked. 

"Of course," Killian responded. They both said goodnight and Emma wasn't quite sure which one of them actually hung up. Her last thought before falling asleep was hoping that Killian would be able to fall back asleep.


	8. Valentines

A week after Emma agreed to give them a shot, she and Killian still hadn't done more than text and talk on the phone, but now it was Valentine's day and Killian was coming over. It wasn't, technically, a date. They were just going to binge-watch The Office for a few hours and had agreed on no presents. 

They also hadn't told Mary Margaret or David that they were, technically, dating. When Killian actually came over, it was around six, and Emma was already in sweatpants and one of her BU shirts. Killian had jeans and a Tony Stark shirt on that Emma was positive she had never seen before. He also had a grocery bag in one hand and an overnight bag slung across his shoulder. "First of all, when did you get that shirt? Second of all, I didn't think you actually had t-shirts. I thought all you owned were button-downs and vests. Third of all, we agreed on no gifts," Emma said as her greeting.

Killian just smiled and shrugged. "I believe Liam got me this shirt when I was staying at his place; I do own t-shirts, button-downs and vests just look nicer, especially when paired with leather; this isn't a gift. Can I come inside now?" He asked. Emma nodded and moved out of the way. He walked inside and put his bag against the wall and the grocery bag on the table he pulled out a carton of ice cream. "It would be considered a gift if it was just for you, but this is for both of us to share, which makes it not a gift," He said, answering Emma's unspoken question.

She just shook her head slightly. "I think it's still technically a gift, just for both of us," She said and gave him a quick kiss. She had her laptop sitting on the coffee table with Netflix open and ready to go. "If you can't tell, I still haven't bought a tv," She said. 

"Really? Hadn't noticed," He replied and Emma grinned and lit up the entire apartment. Killian grabbed two spoons from a drawer and handed one to Emma. "Ready to be completely and totally unhealthy?" He asked, and Emma nodded. They sat down on the couch and Emma pressed play, starting with the pilot episode of The Office. Emma curled up against him, the carton of chocolate ice cream sitting between them. 

Emma hadn't known you could actually eat too much chocolate ice cream, but that was definitely what she did. Killian didn't eat all that much of the ice cream. Emma ate almost half the tub by herself. When she physically couldn't eat anymore ice cream, Killian got up and put the rest of the carton in the freezer and quickly washed the spoons before sitting back down next to Emma, who had her knees pulled up to her chest and leaned completely against him. He wrapped his arm around her. "Happy Valentine's day," She murmured against him.

Killian smiled and leaned his head against hers. "I think this is the best way I've ever spent Valentine's day, love, thanks for inviting me over," He said.

Emma shrugged as best she could. "We are kind-of dating, aren't we?" She asked.

"Nope, we're totally dating now. We just have to go on an actual first date that isn't planned the day before," He said. 

"That's true, we kind of skipped the whole 'first-date get-to-know-you' thing, didn't we?" Emma asked. 

"It'd be different for us, considering we already know each other and have known each other for years already," Killian pointed out. "But, I still would love to go on an actual date with you," He added.

Emma sat up and faced him. "Is that your way of asking me out?" She asked.

Killian shook his head. "Not yet, love, I don't have anything planned currently. Soon, though," He promised. 

"If you're thinking of a fancy dinner you're going to have to wait until I get a dress that I didn't steal from Mary Margaret," Emma said. 

Killian shrugged. "As nice as a fancy dinner with you sounds, I know you and I know it's going to take you a while to actually go out and buy and dress. I was thinking something a bit more casual. Something more...us. Is that alright?"

Emma nodded and kissed him. "Casual sounds great," She agreed, and Killian pulled her into a kiss. By the time they parted, Emma was half sitting on Killian's lap. "It's getting late, we should probably go to bed," She said, a look in her eyes that made Killian raise an eyebrow.

"Go to bed or go to sleep?" He asked.

Emma shrugged. "That part's up to you," She answered.

Killian grinned and picked her up. "To bed it is, then," He said and kissed her. He almost ran into three different things as he attempted to walk to her room while making out with her. She laughed against him when he knocked his shoulder and her feet against her doorframe. "Sorry," He murmured. 

They got less sleep than they should've.

In the morning, Killian woke up and smiled when he saw Emma's golden hair fanned out on the pillow they really didn't need to be sharing but were anyway. He moved to get up and Emma rolled over, which gave Killian a reason to stay in bed a bit longer. Emma slowly blinked open her eyes. "Good morning, love," Killian said softly.

Emma made a noise and buried her face into his chest. "It's too early to be awake," She mumbled against him.

He laughed. "Swan, it's almost seven, both of us have to be at work in, like, an hour and a half," He said.

"Work is dumb. Can't we just be freeloaders and live in David and M's house?" She asked.

Killian kissed the top of her head. "Afraid not, they'd get sick of us eventually, they don't need to worry about kids until theirs is actually born," He pointed out. "And we really should get out of bed, as much as I don't want to," He added. 

Emma sighed and rested her head back on the pillow. "Fine, we really should get up." Neither of them made any move to get up for another five minutes. Emma almost fell back asleep, but woke again when Killian finally tried to get up. Emma groaned and attempted to grab at a shirt Killian never put back on. He stood up and Emma sat up. "I didn't really plan on actually getting up," She said.

Killian flashed her a smile. "I know, you were about to fall asleep again, and if you did then I would've fallen asleep again and we'd end up missing work," He said and leaned against the bathroom door. "You know, you could come join me in the shower. Save water and all that," He said, the smile turning into a smirk. 

Emma shook her head, but she was smiling. "You and I both know that if I get in that shower with you we'll end up using more water and time than it would take for us to shower seperately," She said.

Killian pouted. "But it'd be fun," He protested.

"Another time," Emma promised and Killian smiled again before disappearing into the bathroom to shower. "And don't take all the hot water!" She shouted when she heard the water come on.

Killian opened the door a bit with a grin on his face. "We'll see," He said and disappeared again. 

Emma laughed and pulled on his shirt from the day before and left the room to eat breakfast. She pulled out her last two poptarts and put them into the toaster. "Have to get more of those," She muttered to herself. She was almost done eating when Killian come out of her room, fully dressed, button-down and vest included. 

"You need to get some real breakfast food, Swan," he commented.

Emma finished off her poptart and walked over to the couch, where he was pulling on socks. "Poptarts are most definitely real breakfast food, so I don't know what you're talking about," She argued. Killian shook his head and tugged her onto his lap. She shifted to where she was straddling him. "I think this is counter-productive," She said.

"Really? Because I think this is very productive," He said and kissed her. His hands shifted under the shirt and his eyes widened dramtically as he pulled away. "Are you really not wearing anything under this?" He asked. 

Emma shrugged. "It's my apartment, for one, and I wasn't going to get changed while you hogged the shower," She answered. 

"Hogged? I was in there for, like, five minutes and you could've joined me," Killian said. 

Emma laughed and kissed him again before getting up. "I could've joined you, but I didn't, and now I have to take my own shower. Feel free to eat some of my not-real breakfast food," She said and left to get ready. Killian ran a hand through his hair and went into the kitchen. He found an apple and a banana, and he wasn't actually aware Emma ate things other than poptarts at her apartment. 

When Emma came out of her room, fully dressed and hair pulled back, Killian was already done with the banana and halfway done with the apple. "I think you need to go food shopping. Maybe pick up breakfast food. Like eggs. Or bread." He glanced over the counter. "And a toaster, apparently," He added. 

Emma leaned against the counter. "You have a lot of opinions about my breakfasts," She commented.

Killian nodded. "It's the most important meal of the day, Swan," He said, and Emma gave him a look.

"This, coming from the man who continuesly gets me grilled cheese for breakfast. It's been, what, three times since Christmas?" She asked.

"Those were peace offerings," Killian pointed out. "How about one day when neither of us have to work, you come over and I'll cook an actual breakfast for us, is that okay?" He asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, maybe after our first official date," She said.

Killian smiled and nodded. "Sounds perfect. I'm going to plan some sort of evening out," He said.

"I can plan a date, too," Emma protested.

"I don't doubt it, I just have half of a plan forming already. We can alternate date planning...or something."

"Fine. I'm planning our second official date, so you have to get around to asking me for the first," Emma replied and checked her phone. She sighed. "Nine texts from Mary Margaret about last night, all of them mentioning in some way or another that she hopes I wasn't alone. Oh, number seven actually mentions you by name, asking if we were hanging out. She's good," She said and looked back at Killian. "Do we really have to go to work today? David'll forgive me if I don't show," She said.

Killian wrapped his arms around her. "I'd much rather spend the day with you than go to work, trust me, but Smee has me running the shop today and I'm not allowed to skip shop days unless I'm dead or dying or someone I love is dead or dying," He answered.

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it."

"Or you could just call me tonight and tell me about it," Emma countered. Killian still hadn't let go of her. She wasn't complaining. 

"Sounds like a plan. We really should go to work now, shouldn't we?" He asked, and Emma nodded against him. He kissed the top of her head and let go of her, which allowed Emma to pull him into an actual kiss. 

"Talk to you tonight?" Emma asked when they parted. 

Killian nodded. "Of course," He promised and grabbed his things and left. 

Emma lingered in her apartment for five more minutes before heading out to the sheriff's station. 

When Emma actually got to the station, David and Graham were both already there, and David had a box of donuts on his desk. Emma grabbed a bear claw and sat down. "What's the occasion for the donuts?" She asked.

"Mary Margaret said you didn't answer her texts and thought you might've been alone last night and wanted me to bring donuts to cheer you up," David explained. 

Emma was silent for a moment as she ate. "I appreciate the donuts, but I wasn't alone last night so there's really no need to cheer me up," She said.

David's eyebrows lifted. "If I ask you who you were with are you going to yell at me?" He asked. 

Emma shrugged. "Depends on how you ask it."

"Out of curiosity–and because M's will want to know later–who were you with?" 

Emma took her time and finished the bear claw before she answered. "Killian."

David just smiled. "She called it. Are you two actually dating now?" He asked.

"Technically, yes, but we haven't gone on a first official date yet. You can have one more question about my love life and then we're done," Emma added.

"When'd you guys start dating officially?"

"Eight days ago. And with that, we end the questioning. Pick a different topic," Emma said. "Like, Graham's love life," She suggested, turning the attention to him.

Graham's eyes widened slightly. "Uh, I don't have a love life to talk about, sorry," He said.

Emma shook her head. "That's not much help," She said, and he shrugged. 

"How about we just stop talking about love lives? I've got to tell Mary Margaret what you said anyway," David added, sitting down at his own desk and pulling out his phone.

 

Around noon, Emma was ready to take her lunch break and maybe surprise her boyfriend with lunch when Graham dropped a small stack of papers on her desk. "What're these?"

"Papers. David's who-knows-where and I've got to patrol, which leaves you with paperwork," Graham explained. 

Emma made a noise that sounded a lot like a growl. "How do we always have paperwork when there's barely any crime here?" She asked.

Graham shrugged and grabbed his jacket and keys. "You're the best, Emma," He said as he left, and Emma hummed in agreement as she grabbed a pen and sighed. 

Thanfully, her phone rang right as she was about to start actually working. She smiled before she realized what she was doing when she saw Killian's name on the screen. She clicked the answer button and held her phone up to her ear. "Hey, Kil. What's up?"

"I'm bored and on my lunch break and for some reason Smee gave me an extra half-hour for lunch. You?"

"I was about to get get lunch and then Humbert dropped a bunch of paperwork on my desk and now I'm working during my lunch break instead of eating food."

"Are you actually doing work right now or are you using this call as an excuse to avoid work?"

Emma's smile grew into a grin. "I think you know me too well. But, considering I have no idea where David actually is, I don't think he'll mind."

"So what you're saying is that you're alone at the station right now?"

"Yep."

"Cool, that makes this much less awkward."

"Makes what less awkward?" Emma asked. She heard the door to the station open and heard Killian hang up. "What the–" She cut herself off when Killian turned the corner with a slight smirk on his face. He walked over and handed her a takeout bag. "Apparently I need to step up my dating game. I guess it's a good thing I got this work, actually. I was going to surprise you with lunch," She said.

Killian pulled a chair over to Emma's desk as she started eating. "Maybe you're right, I need more filling breakfast food," Emma said.

"I believe I said actual breakfast food, not more filling," Killian corrected her, reaching out to steal an onion ring. Emma glared at him but didn't say anything considering he was the one who bought it. 

"You need to eat more than just stolen onion rings, you know," Emma said.

Killian stole another one. "That sounds like you care about me, Swan," He teased. 

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course I care about you, dummy," She said. Killian's smrik turned into a grin. 

"I care about you, too," He said.

"I know. If you didn't you wouldn't be constantly buying me food. Or letting me fall asleep on you. And you definitely wouldn't have convinced me not to run away when I was thirteen," Emma pointed out. "And, because I forgot to say it when you got here, thanks for lunch," She added.

Killian nodded once. "Anytime, Swan." He pointed to the stack of paperwork. "So, if there's barely any crime going on, how come you always seem to have paperwork?" 

"Mostly because none of us actually like to do paperwork so most of it is overdue and everything's on the computer but Regina likes things written out," Emma said, slightly bitterly. "But, seeing you and eating Granny's makes it a bit more bearable." Killian snatched yet another onion ring. "Killian! This is getting ridiculous," Emma said, but she looked more amused than mad, especially when he flashed her a grin. 

"Ah, but you're not going to stop me," He said. 

"Yeah, because–as mentioned before–you bought it." Emma finished off her grilled cheese and started on the onion rings before her boyfriend ate them all. "And you really need to get your own food so you don't starve or something while working," She added, then glanced back at the stack of papers and sighed. 

Killian followed her slight-glare to the stack of papers. "Humbert really give you all of those? Seems a bit crappy," he commented. 

Emma shrugged. "The actual giving of work part, yes, but Graham's good. He was a good friend to me after you and David and Mary Margaret graduated. The only bad part was that stupid wolf he always brings up," She replied. 

Killian shifted slightly in his seat. "I'm...I'm sorry," he said. 

"For what?" Emma asked, turning to him with a confused look on her face. 

He stared at the desk. "For those years I didn't talk to you. I graduated and left everyone behind when I left, including you. I shouldn't have. I mean, I still would've left, but I should've actually asked for your phone number so we could talk sometimes. I was just thinking of me and adventures and I just...I'm sorry." 

Emma grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. You were eighteen and restless and I did almost the same thing when I graduated. I left and didn't come home for four years. And it's not like I went out of my way to find a way to talk to you, either," She added. 

"When I was at Liam's last year–actually, I guess that was two years ago now–for Christmas, you were Skyping him and I heard you ask if he knew where I was. He's just a great brother and told you he didn't. I'm to blame for that, I told you that a few months ago at Christmas," Killian said. He pulled the chain off around his neck, and Emma saw the ring hanging on it. 

She held up her hands and her eyes widened. "Woah woah woah," she said, and Killian gave her a look. 

"Relax, Swan, I'm not proposing. Way too soon for that." Emma lowered her hands slightly as Killian handing her the ring and the chain. "Liam gave me this when we first moved here, and now I'm giving it to you as a promise that I'm not going to leave again," he said. 

Emma tilted her head slightly. "Why? I know you're not going anywhere. I know you. You wouldn't have come back if you planned on leaving again," she pointed out. 

"Then see it as reassurance that I won't," Killian said. Emma smiled slightly and slipped the chain over her head. 

"Reassurance," she agreed and kissed him, which quickly turned into making out with him. In the sheriffs office. David decided to walk in at that moment. 

"Oh come on!" He shouted. Emma and Killian all but jumped apart, sliding two different directions in their rolling chairs. "Seriously? In the station?" He asked. 

Emma's cheeks were as red as Killian's ears, but they were both trying not to laugh. "Sorry, mate, didn't know when you'd be here. Thought we'd be okay for a few minutes," Killian said, running a hand through his hair. 

"Yeah, didn't really plan on you showing up so soon. Then again, I also didn't really plan on Kil showing up with lunch," Emma added. 

David crossed his arms. "Can we please keep the making out in public to a minimum? I'd really rather not walk in on you two again." 

Emma shrugged. "Technically this is the first time we've made out in public, but we'll try our best to keep it to a minimum."

Killian rolled back over to her desk. "Maybe not our best, but we'll try," He said, pulling Emma closer to him. 

David shook his head but he was smiling. "Okay, good enough. Mary Margaret's really happy, by the way. She's happy that you two are happy. You are happy, right?" He asked. 

Emma rolled her head back. "Please stop saying the word happy, David," she replied and straightened her head up, glancing at Killian. "But, yeah, I'm pretty sure we are."

“Definitely are,” Killian corrected, holding onto her hand.


	9. First Date

After getting caught making out with Emma at the station, Killian left and went back to Granny's so he could get his own food and actually eat lunch on his lunch break. He probably should've just eaten with Emma. Too late now.

He didn't end up taking the extra half hour of lunch Smee gave him, mostly because he was extremely bored and didn't want Emma to get slightly in trouble with David for texting instead of working. Killian didn't really think David would care, but he didn't want to take that chance. Instead, he went back to work and dealt with the occasional customers that came into the shop, searching for anything related to water or fishing.

By the end of the day, Killian didn't know if he was going to get the smell of worms and bait out of his clothes. It always stuck to him. That part of the job he hated. He loved being out on the boats, whether is was taking people fishing or teaching them or even occasionally cleaning up the ones for sale, if he was out on the water, he was good.

Killian got home and immediately got in the shower and spent at least ten minutes attempting to get the gross smell out of his hair. He didn't get out until he was positive he didn't smell of anything from that shop. After he got dressed, he checked his phone and saw a missed call from Emma, so he Skyped her back. She answered on the third ring, a smile on her face that grew a bit when she saw Killian's still damp hair. "Let me guess, you were showering when I called you?" She asked as a greeting.

Killian matched her grin with one of his own as he nodded. "Aye, that shop smells almost as bad as all of the dead fish Smee always seems to have. I've no idea when he actually goes fishing, just that one day I gut fish, and a week later, they're all back and I never saw him out on the water," he said. It was a conversation they'd had before, Killian really liked complaining about the fish.

"He does get days off, just like you, but the way you're explaining it makes it sound like a conspiracy theory. What do you think, he magically conjures up all those fish after you're done one day and let's them sit and stink up the back for a week? Because that sounds disgusting," Emma said, her nose wrinkling up slightly just thinking about it.

Killian didn't know it was possible, but somehow his smile grew. "You know, Swan, him conjuring up fish might be a good theory, although I don't think he does it a week in advance. Maybe a day or two," he replied.

Emma shrugged. "You know him better than I do. Anything to complain about in the shop today?" She asked, cutting to the chase.

"As always, the smell. I'm not sure how I haven't lost my sense of smell yet. Aren't you supposed to get used to a smell after smelling it for a long time or something?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm not a scientist, I've got no idea. I do know that I've been eating Granny's grilled cheese for years now and they still smell good and taste better, but I've got no idea about bad smells," she said.

Killian shook his head slightly, finally dropping down onto his bed. "Did you go foodshopping yet?" He asked.

"Not entirely. I picked up a box of Mac and cheese, a bag of mashed potatoes, and a box of pop tarts. I'll go actual food shopping tomorrow or sometime this week," Emma answered, waving a hand that was just out of the camera view, but Killian knew she did it.

"I'm gonna remind you about it everyday until you do," he warned and Emma let out a small laugh. "And, I also need to ask, have any plans for next Saturday?" He asked.

Emma glanced up at the ceiling as she thought. "I don't think so. I don't even know if I'm working that day. Why?" She asked.

"This is me, formally asking you out on a first official date," Killian said, a little bow of his head and everything.

"I thought those were done in person," Emma commented.

"I wanted to, but I also wanted to ask you as soon as possible and I worked out the rest of a plan when I got back to work. So, what do you say, Swan? Will you go out with me?" He asked, only a small ball of nerves in his stomach. Killian was ninety-nine percent sure she'd say yes, mostly because of–well, everything. And she said she'd plan their second date, if that was anything to go off of.

Emma cut off his thoughts when she nodded. "Of course I'll go out with you. Next Saturday, right?" She asked.

Killian nodded once. "Aye. My plan starts when we can see the stars, but I'm open to seeing you before that, if you want," he said casually.

"Yeah, seeing you before next Saturday would definitely be nice. Does this mean next Sunday morning you're going to make me a real breakfast?" Emma asked.

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?"

Emma nodded, the hand not holding her phone was loosely gripping the ring he gave her. That made him happy. "I can't wait to go on an actual date with you," she said, making him grin. "Although this call came at a pretty bad time because Mary Margaret will not stop texting me about you."

Killian raised an eyebrow. "And you're ignoring her for me?" He asked. He wasn't entirely sure why. Mary Margaret was Emma's best friend and–Killian assumed–was a higher priority than him.

Emma gave him a slightly lopsided grin. "Scandalous, I know," she joked. "But considering you're my boyfriend now, almost completely officially, I don't think she'll mind me ignoring her to talk to you for a few more minutes. And, if she does, she can suck it up for this one time," she said. Turns out he was wrong.

"For the record, I'd ignore David for you. Or, apparently, Mary Margaret. She's texting me now. I didn't realize I actually had her number. Or that she had mine," Killian said, swiping up on a few texts so he could still see Emma completely.

Emma laughed. "Wow, I've been ignoring her for all of five minutes and she moves on to you? Very dedicated," She said.

Killian grinned. "It's Mary Margaret, did you ever doubt her? I mean, she did wait until she was done with work to text us, at least," he pointed out.

"Probably because David's been giving her updates all day. We both know he definitely texted her about catching us making out at the station, which probably made her make some sort of happy noise that possibly affected any dogs in the area and probably confused her students," Emma said as Mary Margaret texted her again. "Okay, we really should answer her. Call me later?" She asked.

Killian nodded. "Of course, love." Emma gave him one more smile before hanging up. He finally tapped Mary Margaret's messages and scrolled through.

Emma's ignoring me so I'm asking you now. How was yesterday? What happened? Was it an actual date?

You can't ignore me too Jones.

Oh, wait, are you two talking and ignoring me for each other? That would make sense.

But I kind of really want answers so as soon as you can would be nice.

Killian shook his head slightly at his friend's questions.

Yesterday was good, we watched probably too much of the Office and ate a lot of ice cream, though Swan ate a lot more than I did, and it wasn't technically a date. Yes, we were talking which was why you were being ignored for a few minutes, sorry.

He laid flat on his bed for a minute before going back on his phone to text Emma.

Want to binge-watch more of the Office on Friday, if you're not doing anything?

It only took Emma a minute to respond.

I would, but Ruby, M's and I are having the girls' night out Ruby's been wanting since I got back to town.

But Mary Margaret can't drink, how're you supposed to have girls' night?

She's on a strict caffeine-free root beer diet for drinks, as told to me by David today. It also means that if Ruby and I end up getting incredibly drunk, we've already got a DD.

Oh shit, you're probably going to get drunk texts if that happens.

Killian smiled.

I don't mind drunk texts, don't worry.

Good.

The conversation was over, but Killian knew he was going to talk to her later, so he wasn't too upset about it.

 

"Ruby I'm not answering any questions until M's gets here," Emma said for the third time a few days later at the start of Girls' night at the Rabbit Hole, they were just waiting for Mary Margaret to get there. Ruby let out a frustrated noise for the third time in five minutes.

"But haven't you already told her about you and Jones? M's doesn't need to hear twice," Ruby argued, and Emma shook her head as Mary Margaret walked into the bar and made her way over to them. "Finally!" Ruby said, turning back to Emma. "Spill. Everything," She demanded.

"What is Emma spilling?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma faced her. "Ruby wants to know, apparently, everything about Killian and I," She answered.

Mary Magaret smiled and clapped once. "I want to hear about everything, too. You're not very good at giving information over texts," She said.

Emma shook her head slightly and took a sip of whatever Ruby ordered for her. It was rum. "What do you mean by everything? We only actually started dating last week. Not much has happened," She said.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Please, you and Jones have practically been dating since you got back. Didn't you and M's go out on Christmas Eve specifically to get him a present?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Because I hadn't seen him in, like, eight years, not because we instantly started dating when I showed up," She argued. Ruby gave her a look. "Okay, fine, we might've had a couple kisses under mistletoe, but that's nothing," She said, and Ruby grinned.

"We're starting to get somewhere."

"Did you two ever actually talk about those kisses?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma shook her head. "Mostly because the second time was cut off by not wanted to be caught by David. And there might've been a small kiss on New Year's Eve. But nothing really happened throughtout all of January," She said.

Mary Margaret leaned back a bit in her chair and crossed her arms. "I saw you two asleep in your bed. Multiple times. I don't think that's nothing," She said.

Ruby made some sort of noise. "Did you and Jones the younger actually have sex when David and Mary Margaret were, like, two rooms over?" She asked.

"No! God, no. We just talked and told each other bad jokes we found online and fell asleep together," Emma answered quickly, before Mary Margaret got the idea in her head. "And then last week we spent the day together, buying furniture and stuff–which wasn't really a date, by the way," She added, seeing the look on her friends' faces.

"Killian said it was partially a date. There was a kiss. And a hug," Mary Margaret said.

Ruby looked like she was having a field day already, and Emma scrunched up her nose. "Killian needs to learn to not answer you," She mumbled, taking another sip of her rum.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, you would've answered me too," She said, and Robin made his way over with a glass of caffeine-free root beer for Mary Margaret, and she thanked him.

Robin turned to Emma. "Onion rings yet?" He asked, and Emma nodded.

"It's definitely onion ring time," She answered, and Robin laughed as he walked away. "Anyway, after hanging out and getting all the boring stuff done, I couldn't sleep and it was like midnight and I might've called Kil and we might've talked and he might've convinced me to give it shot and that was when we actually started dating. And then he came over on Valentine's day and I ate, like, half a carton of chocolate ice cream and we watched a lot of episodes of The Office and he slept over and then got me lunch the next day," Emma said.

"Oh, that explains why he asked for your usual order and then came back later to get his usual order," Ruby said.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, he came and surprised me at the station, we talked–"

"–and I'm assuming he gave you whatever's on that chain around your neck?" Ruby asked.

Emma's cheeks turned pink. "Yeah. And then David walked in on us making out at my desk and Killian left like a minute after that."

"Have you guys actually gone out on a first date yet?" Ruby asked, leaning forward slightly on the table. She was definitely enjoying this.

Emma shook her head in response. "He asked me out and it's set for next Saturday, apparently at night. He hasn't told me anything else about it," She said.

Mary Margaret's eyes widened and she looked excited. "Do you have a dress picked out yet?" She asked.

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "Well, um, no. But I don't think I'm going to wear a dress." Ruby let out a loud, frustrated noise that sounded dangerously close to a growl that made several other customers turn in their direction. "What? We agreed on casual!" Emma said defensively.

Mary Margaret already had her phone pulled out. "We can find you a dress online that's casual but still will take Killian's breath away when he sees you," She promised.

Emma smiled slightly. "I'm pretty sure that would happen no matter what I wore. And, even if it didn't, we both know he'd still compliment whatever I was wearing," She said, and pulled out her phone to text him.

Do you actually care what I wear to our date on Saturday? I need to prove a point.

Killian responded quickly.

You look stunning in anything, Swan, so no. Hope that helps prove your point.

Emma grinned and looked back at Ruby and Mary Margaret, who were both staring at her. Emma showed them the two messages. "See? It doesn't matter," She said.

"What if we show you a really cute and casual dress and you like it? Then will you wear one?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Fine, yes, if I like one I will wear it," Emma agreed. Robin walked over to give Emma her onion rings. He didn't linger after Emma thanked him and began eating. "Can we please stop talking about my love life now?" She asked, and Ruby shook her head, making Emma groan. "What else could you possibly want to know?"

"Did you and Jones the younger ever date in high school?" Ruby asked.

Emma shook her head. "No, he was more...bad influence friend and illegal drinking buddy, you know?" She replied.

Mary Margaret looked up from her search on her phone and over to Ruby. "Apparently they managed to convince Liam to buy them alcohol," She said.

Ruby just looked confused. "Jones the older was responsible, though, so how did that happen?" She asked.

"On the rare nights he got drunk, he was pretty easy to convice. Especially with the combined force of Killian and I. And you know it's a lot easier to call them Killian and Liam, right?" She asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but when they first got to town all those years ago, I was young and could never remember which was which, so I called them Jones the younger and Jones the older, and the nicknames just kind of stuck. I'm never going to stop calling them that," She explained.

"Oh this one's pretty!" Mary Margaret said, showing Emma and Ruby the dress on her phone screen. It was a long turquoise dress with long sleeves. Not really Emma's style, nor was it very casual looking. She told her friend as much. Mary Margaret made a small face and went back to searching.

"Remember, M's, casual," Emma reminded her. Mary Margaret just waved her hand through the statement.

The night went by fairly quickly, but that also might've been because Ruby kept ordering her and Emma drinks. Eventually, Mary Margaret showed Emma a light pink dress that was more casual than any of the other dresses she found, and Emma agreed. Mary Margaret ordered it. "It'll be here Wednesday," She said, looking over the shipping details. Emma just nodded and drank some more. Mary Margaret ended up driving Emma and Ruby home, as neither of them were in any driving condition.

When Emma got back to her apartment she fumbled with her keys for a minute before unlocking her door and actually walking into it. She immediately kicked off her shoes and the only light she bothered turning on was the one in her bedroom. Without thinking, she collasped onto her bed and pulled out her phone to call Killian. It only took three rings for him to answer. "Are you just getting home, love?" He asked, and Emma nodded, and then realized he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I got home literally a minute before this phone call," She answered.

"It's eleven, were you really out for four hours?"

"Yep," Emma said, popping the 'p' and rolling over onto her back. "It was fun. I ate a lot of onion rings and drank a lot of rum, thanks to Robin and Ruby. Mary Margaret also bought me a dress," Emma paused for a second. "Shit, I wanted to surprise you with that," She said.

Killian laughed and Emma grinned at the noise. "I'll still be surprised with what it looks like," He pointed out.

"That's true. I think you'll like it, but it doesn't have actual sleeves so I'm most definitely going to steal whatever jacket you bring," Emma said. It made Killian laugh again and she knew he was smiling.

"I'll make sure to bring my best one then," He joked, and Emma yawned. "You're tired, go to sleep, Swan," He suggested.

Emma yawned again. "Sleeping sounds good. It'd sound better if you were over here, though. Or if I was over there," She said.

Killian was silent for a minute. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Of course I do," Emma replied automatically. "But by the time you get here I'll probably be asleep, so there wouldn't really be a point. Are you working tomorrow?" She asked.

"I don't believe so. Why?"

"I'm not either. Would it be okay if I just randomly came by at some point?"

"Of course, love. I'll see you sometime tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Kil."

"Goodnight, Swan."

Emma hung up and plugged her phone in before pulling on her pajamas and went to bed.

In the morning, Emma showered and changed and grabbed a poptart out of the fresh box she bought two days earlier. She hadn't gotten too drunk the night before, only slightly drunk. That was good. It meant a slightly-drunk call to Killian, but no drunk texts doing something crazy like declaring her love to him. Which she didn't. Love him. Definitely not. At least, that was what Emma told herself. "Almost two weeks, not enough time," She mumbled as she pulled on her shoes and her jacket, almost forgetting to grab her phone. Surprisingly enough, no texts from Mary Margaret or Ruby. Emma figured they got all their anwers the night before.

She left her apartment, barely remembering to lock it before she left the apartment building and got into her car. She drove down to the docks, where Killian's apartment was. She forgot which one was his for a moment, and then let out a small "a-ha!" when she remembered and knocked on the correct door. A slightly lopsided grin appeared on Killian's face as soon as he saw her. "Swan, I didn't expect you this early," he said, gesturing for her to come inside.

Emma walked in and shrugged. "It's like eleven in the morning, this isn't early," She argued.

"When you called me last night it was fairly late, and you sounded fairly drunk," Killian pointed out.

Emma dropped down on his couch. The couch she helped him pick out. "I wasn't that drunk, just...mildly buzzed," She said, and Killian laughed slightly, sitting down next to her.

"Mildly buzzed? I don't think someone mildly buzzed accidentally tells her boyfriend she bought a dress for their date," He said.

Emma froze for a moment before smiling. "I think that's the first time you've called yourself my boyfriend," She said.

Killian's eyes widened slightly. "Well, I am, aren't I?" He asked, and Emma nodded.

"Even if our official first date isn't for another week," she added. "Which, you know, I'm excited for."

Killian grinned. "Me too. I've got something I think is pretty good planned, as long as the weather agrees with me," he said.

One of Emma's eyebrows lifted. "So this date involves outside?" She asked.

"It's a surprise, Swan, I can't tell you any details," Killian answered, knowing he gave her a detail already. Emma just rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face. "You know, you've been here all of five minutes and there hasn't been a single kiss. I think there's a problem with that," he said, grin turning into a slight smirk.

"Is that you saying you want to kiss me?"

"Desperately."

Emma leaned towards him and kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap. Her stomach growled, which was easily the only reason she and Killian pulled away from each other. "Did you eat before coming here?" Killian asked.

"Technically, yeah. I had a poptart," Emma answered.

Killian gave her a look. "We've been over this, Swan, poptarts are not real breakfast foods," he said and Emma rolled her eyes slightly.

"They're good, though," She argued.

"But they're neither filling nor healthy."

"If they were healthy they wouldn't taste as good," Emma pointed out, and Killian left out a laugh.

"How about we go to the Rabbit Hole for lunch?" He suggested.

Emma tugged lightly on his shirt. "Or, we could do something else that doesn't require leaving this apartment or keeping our clothes on," she offered.

Killian actually hesitated for a minute. "Can we get food first? It's a lot harder to put clothes back on and get out of bed when you either start starving or I start to get hungry than it is to go eat food and then do your clothes-less activity. Is that okay?" He asked.

Emma nodded. "That sounds great."

Neither of them started to move. They just stared at each other, and Emma's mouth ticked into a smile. "I don't think this is getting up and going to the Rabbit Hole," she said.

Killian shrugged. "I can't do much, love, you're the one sitting on me," He pointed out.

Emma brushed her lips across his. "You're just so comfy. Do you want me to get up?" She asked, her eyebrows raising.

Killian's arms tightened slightly around her. "It appears we have a problem." Emma's stomach growled again and Killian made a noise and rested his head against the top of her shoulder.

"Come on, Kil, you were the on talking about getting food." She was absolutely teasing him. He made another noise that neither agreed nor disagreed. "The sooner we get food the sooner we can come back here. It's like you said, it's gonna be a lot harder to put our clothes back on when one of us gets super hungry," Emma added.

Killian let out a slightly dramatic sigh and loosened his hold around her waist. "I hate having good ideas," he muttered. Emma grinned and got up, then pulled Killian up. He grabbed his wallet and followed her out of his apartment, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as they walked out of the building.

It was February. It was still cold out. Killian and Emma decided to walk the few blocks to the Rabbit Hole. Emma was as close to Killian's side as she could get, her arm wrapped around his waist, under his jacket. "Tell me again, why we decided to walk?" She asked after two minutes.

"Because it's Storybrooke and it really doesn't take that long to walk anywhere?" Killian answered.

Emma twisted slightly to look at him. "Was that a question or an answer?"

"Both." Emma let out a small laugh as they rounded a corner. The Rabbit Hole was at the end of the street. She and Killian walked in comfortable silence for the rest of the way to the bar.

There weren't many other people in the bar. Robin was leaning against the counter, and looked delightfully surprised at seeing them. "Emma! Killian! I wasn't expecting to see you two. Especially you, Emma, you were literally just here last night," he said as the couple sat down in a booth. He walked over to them to talk to them easier.

"Killian's idea. This is a bar, why are you open at, like, eleven-thirty in the morning?" Emma asked.

Robin shrugged and crossed his arms. "For one, some people enjoy day drinking. For another, some people like playing pool on their days off," he answered, gesturing to the pool tables. "Anyways, what can I get for you two?" He asked.

Emma ordered a lot of onion rings. "You can't eat just onion rings, love," Killian argued when the three baskets showed up.

"Watch me," Emma replied, eating one of the onion rings.

Killian only rolled his eyes slightly as he ate his burger. "That's not healthy, Swan."

"Neither is a burger and fries," Emma pointed out.

"But it's better than three baskets of fried onions."

Emma made a face. "That's debatable." Killian laughed at that as Emma's phone went off. She checked it and made a sound closely resembling a growl. "What?"

"Graham's got the flu and David's got some baby thing with Mary Margaret which means I've got to go into work instead of going back to your apartment," Emma explained, practically shoving her phone back into her pocket and angrily biting into another onion ring.

Killian frowned. "Well, we'll just have to take a rain check, then, yeah?" He asked. Emma nodded in agreement.

David put her on the night shift. For the entire week. Emma and Killian didn't end up seeing each other until their official first date because whenever Killian was working, Emma was catching up on sleep, and then when Emma was working Killian would be sleeping. They managed a few calls to each other, but it wasn't the same.

"I'm sorry about the night shift but with Graham's nighttime medicine whatever and my pregnant wife, that just left you," David said, an apology in there for the third time on Saturday.

Mary Margaret was helping Emma get ready for her date, which meant David came over and watched Netflix on Emma's laptop because she still hadn't gotten a television yet. "Yeah, you said that before," Emma replied from her room. She finished pulling up her hair and walked out into the living room, where Mary Margaret grinned at her. "Are you sure I can't wear a jacket? It's still February, it's cold," She pointed out.

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Sorry, Emma, not happening. But, I might've told Killian to be prepared to give you his so that you don't freeze," She added, seeing Emma's frown.

"I told him that, too," Emma said.

There was a knock on the door. Mary Margaret let out a sound that very closely resembled a squeal. Emma smiled at her and opened the door. Killian's jaw dropped slightly. "You look stunning, Swan," He said.

"And you look..."

"I know," Killian said, making Emma grin and roll her eyes. He handed her a red rose. Killian stepped inside and Mary Margaret was already filling up a vase Emma didn't know she had with water. Emma put the rose in it before walking back over to Killian. "Ready, love?" He asked softly. Emma nodded, then glanced at Mary Margaret and David.

"Uh, you two don't have to stay here. You should probably go home, actually," Emma said, leaving right as David's face shifted as he realized why. "So, are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" She asked once they were both in Killian's car.

Killian started the car and shook his head. "It's a surprise, Swan. But, since the skies are clear and the wind is relatively calm, I think we're going to have a nice night," He answered. "And I'm already prepared to give you my jacket when you start getting cold," He added.

"My hero," Emma teased, and Killian smiled at her and started driving. Emma recognized the path they were taking. "Are we going to the docks?" She asked.

"Possibly," Killian answered, pulling into the parking lot for the docks. He got out and opened the door for her, and offered a hand to pull her up. "Althought, our actual date takes place on that very large ship there," He said, using his free hand to gesture to the ship. He lead her onto the ship. "Her name's the Jewel of the Realm. Smee named her. I kind of hate it, but she's such a nice ship," He said, providing background information as Emma sat down on the picnic blanket Killian had laid out before picking Emma up.

"What would you change the name to?" Emma asked.

Killian sent her a confused look, sitting down on the other side of the picnic basket. "I can't change her name because she's not mine," He replied.

Emma shook her head. "I didn't say you were changing it, I'm saying if you could change it, what would it be?" She clarified.

"Oh, I get it now." Killian had to think for a minute. "You know those old pirate flags?" Emma nodded. "I'm name her after those, the Jolly Roger," He answered. A gust of wind blew and Emma shivered slightly. Killian immediately took of his jacket and offered it to her.

It made Emma smile as she accepted the leather jacket and slipped it on. "Such a gentleman," She said.

"Always," Killian replied. He opened up the picnic basket. Inside was a bottle of rum and some slightly fancy sandwiches and a bag of still-warm onion rings from Grannys.

They ate and talked and drank out of actual glasses and both enjoyed it. After everything except the rum was gone, Killian moved the basket out of the way so he and Emma could lay down on the blanket. "It's the next part of the plan, love," he explained when Emma questoned why she needed to lay down. She did, making sure her dress wasn't going to fly up first. Her hand was back in Killian's and she was glad she was only wearing flats, it would've been kind of uncomfortable to lay down in the heels Ruby wanted her to wear.

"Okay, what's this part?" Emma asked, turning her head to look at Killian.

"You've got to be looking at the stars, not at me," Killian answered. Emma stared at him for a minute longer before turning her head back towards the sky, brightly light by all the stars. Killian pointed at the sky. "The Big Dipper's almost right above us," He commented. He spent the next few minutes pointing out different constellations that Emma couldn't make out, and telling the stories that Emma was positive he was making up.

"How do you know so much about the stars?" Emma asked.

"After I left Storybrooke, I spent some time sailing. Some of the other men taught me how to find the consellations and their stories, although each one changed depending on who was telling the story," Killian answered, rolling onto his side to face Emma. Since she was still wearing her dress, she just turned her head. "Were the ones I just told you at least interesting?" He asked.

Emma nodded. "They were interesting and entertaining and whatever else stories are supposed to be," she assured him. Killian pushes himself up and then offered a hand to Emma. She took it and he pulled her up and then didn't let go of her hand. There was barely any space between there. "I forgot to tell you, I don't pillage and plunder on the first date," Emma said.

One of Killian's eyebrows went up. "Ah, well if I remember correctly, this is only our first official date, and I think this would count as date number three, that day we spent together counting as technical number one," he replied, making Emma smile.

"Oh, so I guess that rule doesn't apply here," she said and kissed him. It took less than a second for Killian to kiss her back, and then another 2.5 seconds for them to start making out on the deck of the ship neither of them owned. They didn't break apart until oxygen became a very much needed resource. Killian rested his forehead against Emma's. "You said you had a plan for tonight, right?"

"Aye."

Emma's hand trailed a bit down his shirt. "At what point in this plan do we go back to your apartment? Not that this ship isn't nice and all," She added quickly, making Killian grin.

"I believe the point in the plan we go back is–" he checked his watch before wrapping his arms around Emma again. "–right now. If you're up for that, of course."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I'm up for it. And, I told David and Graham there was no way I was working tomorrow, so we can spend the entire day together, too," She said.

Killian brushed his lips over hers. "Sounds great. Ready to go?" Another nod. Emma adjusted slightly so that she was tucked against Killian's side instead of his front. He held the car door open for her both when she entered and when she exited a minute later in the parking lot of his apartment building. They might've kissed there, too. And on the stairway to Killian's apartment. 

They finally made it inside, and Emma managed to kick her flats off and drop Killian's jacket before Killian pulled her into another, much stronger, kiss. Killian made a slightly frustrated noise when the zipper on Emma's dress wouldn't come undone. Emma giggled. Actually giggled. "Hang on a second," She mumbled against his lips and took a step back from him. She reached up and got it partially unzipped before kissing him again. Killian got it all the way undone and they somehow made it to Killian's room without running into anything.


	10. Morning After

Killian woke up first. Emma's hair was everywhere. For a minute Killian thought it actually got in his mouth. It didn't. He didn't care at all about how spread out her hair was, he was honestly just glad she was there. He pulled her slightly closer and she shifted a bit and then rolled over to face him. Her eyes were barely open and she buried her face against his shoulder and the pillow, which made Killian smile. "I didn't mean to wake you up, love," he said softly.   
Emma just grumbled something against him. "I didn't quite catch that."

Emma moved her head back a bit. "I said, we should both be quiet and go back to sleep," she repeated and put her head right back against his shoulder. Killian laughed a bit.

"But I promised I'd make you breakfast, remember?"

"But you're so warm," Emma mumbled against him.

"I think you're just cold all the time because it's Maine and it's still February. Honestly, I'm surprised it didn't snow on our date last night."

"That would've been romantic. And cold," Emma added.

Killian nodded in agreement. "I've really got to go make breakfast now," he said, though he made no move to leave.

"Or you could stay right here and we could go back to sleep," Emma suggested, wrapping one of her arms around him.

"Or we could do that," he agreed and they both fell asleep for another hour.

Emma woke up first that time and woke Killian up when she rolled out of his arms, causing him to make a protesting noise. "What about your going back to sleep idea?" He asked, reaching out for her again.

She pulled on one of his t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants, which she had to roll up multiple times so they didn't fall down. "We did that, and I seem to remember you protesting because you had to make breakfast," she reminded him.

"Yeah, I did say that. I should probably make good on my promise, then," he said and got up and pulled on pants. Emma followed him out of his room and into the living room/kitchen and sat up on one of the counters. Killian got stuff out of his fridge, including eggs, bacon, and sausages.

"You're really planning on spoiling me with breakfast, aren't you?" Emma asked, swinging her legs lightly.

Killian glanced at her, grabbing a pan from a cabinet next to her feet. "What else would I do?" He answered.

Emma just grinned. "Don't let this go to your head, but you're actually the best boyfriend I've ever had," she admitted.

Killian just flashed her a grin. "I'm definitely going to let that go to my head, Swan. I think I can feel my ego inflating already," he teased.

There was a knock on the door. Both of them tensed slightly. "If that's David telling me to come into work I'm gonna kick his ass," Emma told Killian as she got up off the counter to answer the door.

It wasn't David.

Liam Jones was standing in the hallway. He looked nervous and surprised that Emma was there. "Emma? What are you doing here?" He asked as he came inside the apartment and saw Killian cooking breakfast.

Emma made a show of looking down to what she was wearing and then back at Liam. "Oh, you know, just hanging out. Randomly decided to come over at the absurd hour of nine a.m. just to steal Killian's clothes and have him make me breakfast," she answered, making sure Liam could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"You slept over didn't you?" Liam asked. Emma nodded. "Does that mean you two are actually dating now?" Another nod. Liam just smiled. "Finally. Honestly, I thought you two would've started dating right around Christmas. Pick up where you left off, or something."

Emma walked back over to Killian, who looked just as confused as Emma at Liam's last statement. "Pick up where we left off? Liam, we weren't dating in high school," Killian said plainly, flipping an egg with the spatula. It sizzled on the pan.

Liam looked skeptical. "Really? I remember you two making out one night. Now, I'm fairly certain I was drunk and I think you two were too, despite being teenagers, but I remember that happening," he said. Emma and Killian exchanged another confused look.

"No, I'm pretty sure that didn't happen," Emma said, pushing herself back onto the countertop.

Liam leaned against the couch. "No, no, I remember. Killian, I think you were...seventeen? That means Emma you were fourteen, and it was at the house and I remember I drank more than I should've, which means I let you two hooligans into the rum and I don't know how much of it you drank but I remember turning around and you two were making out in the living room," Liam said.

"Gross," Emma mumbled.

Killian gave her a look. "Swan, we're literally dating. We made out last night," he pointed out.

"Did more than make out," Emma mumbled, and Liam cleared his throat. "But, what I meant was that I distinctly remember fourteen-year-old-me wanted to date the slimeball that is Neal Cassidy-Gold. Not you," she explained.

Liam just shook his head. "I had an actual reason for coming here, you know, and it wasn't to remind you two that you made out as teenagers," he said.

"So tell us what you came here for," Killian said, barely glancing at his brother as he continued making breakfast.

The nervous look returned. "I'm gonna be a father. Elsa and I are gonna have a kid," Liam said.

Emma's face lit up. "First Mary Margaret and David and now you and Elsa? Liam that's great. Why do you look so nervous?" she asked.

Liam glanced at Killian before answering. "You know Killian and I didn't exactly have the best dad. I don't know how to be a dad. How am I going to be a dad?" He asked.

Emma watched the pan and made sure nothing burned as Killian took a step closer to his brother. "Liam, you practically raised me from ages ten to eighteen, and I know you helped mum out a lot when we were younger, so young I don't even really remember. You're gonna be a great dad and Elsa's gonna be a great mum and I'm gonna be your kid's favorite uncle," he said and grinned. "Your kid is gonna be so spoiled by me and I'm sure Anna gonna spoil your kid, too. You're gonna be fine," he added. 

Liam nodded and all but collapsed onto the couch. "You're right, little brother–"

"Younger brother," Killian muttered, turning back around to cook.

"–little brother," Liam continued, a bit louder. "That doesn't happen too often," he teased. 

Killian rolled his eyes. "Now that your not-quite-mid-life crisis is over, are you going to stay and crash my breakfast with my lovely girlfriend, or are you going to get back to your pregnant wife?" he asked.

"Voice of reason," Emma mumbled, poking Killian's side. He just flashed her a grin and murmured "Always" in response.

Liam pushed himself up. "As adorable as you two are, I should get back to Elsa. I think I'm gonna stop by Mary Margaret and David's first, I believe you mentioned Mary Margaret was pregnant, too?" he asked. 

Emma nodded. "That she is. It was nice seeing you, Liam," she said.

"You too, Emma. Enjoy your breakfast, I'll see you both...I don't know, eventually," Liam said and left. 

After he left, Killian wrapped his free arm around Emma's shoulders. "So, where were we?" Emma asked.

Killian glanced at her with a grin. "I believe you were telling me how I'm the best boyfriend you've ever had," he answered, and Emma rolled her eyes.

"That's also you being compared to Neal, who tried to frame me for a crime he committed, so the bar isn't really all the high," Emma admitted. Killian ducked his head and brushed his lips across Emma's.

"We've been over this, Swan, Neal's an absolute slimeball and did nothing to deserve you, and you certainly deserve better than him," he said. 

Emma rested her head against his shoulder. "And what is it you think I deserve, Killian Jones?" 

"Far more than I can give you. Isn't it obvious? I think you deserve the world, Emma Swan," Killian answered softly.

That was the moment Emma knew she was definitely, positively, in love with Killian. It only scared her a little. "You alright, love?" Killian asked. Emma nodded against him.

It only took ten more minutes for Killian to finish making their breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. "Thanks for making all this. As much as it pains me to admit, this does look a lot better than pop tarts," Emma said, piling food onto her plate and bringing it to the couch. 

"No need to thank me, love, I promised I would do this, remember?" Killian asked.

Emma nodded, biting into a piece of bacon. "It's still polite to thank you for something you've done. I do have manners, Kil," she teased. 

Killian sat down next to her and nudged her with his shoulder. "I never doubted you had manners, I'm just saying I'd do this whether you thanked me or not," he replied.

Emma shook her head slightly. "Can't you just say 'you're welcome'? I think this has been dragged out longer than necessary," she said.

Killian nodded in agreement. "You're welcome, Swan. Do you want to find something to watch on TV? I mean, we've got the entire day–" 

He was cut off by another knock on the door. Killian and Emma didn't move. "Maybe they'll go away if we don't do anything," Emma whispered. 

"Emma if you just answered your phone I wouldn't be here!" David called through the door.

"I'm not going to work, David! Go make Graham do it!" Emma shouted in response. 

"I'm here on behalf of Mary Margaret. Can you please open the door?" 

"No."

David let out a loud sigh. "Fine. Mary Margaret wants–oh, and now Ruby, too–they want to know how your date went last night," he said.

Emma ate another piece of bacon before answering. "Tell them to wait a few hours, I don't plan on going anywhere for a while," she responded, glancing at Killian.

"Fine, I'll go. Next time, just answer the thirty texts from my wife and this won't happen." They could hear David leave. 

"I think I'd be happy if the only other person to knock on that door ever was you," Killian grumbled.

Emma smiled and leaned against his side as she ate. "Yeah, I think that'd be good. We have really good friends, but this town is definitely too nosy," she said. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes, finishing off their breakfasts. They put their plates on the coffee table, both currently too comfy on Killian's couch to get up and go to the kitchen. Killian turned on the TV while Emma stretched out, her legs crossing over his lap. He didn't mind. He flipped to a random channel, some sitcom on the screen. Killian did not care about which one it was, especially when Emma grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss. He might've sighed against her.

It couldn't have been comfy, what with Emma's legs getting slightly squished when she kissed Killian. He was partially on top of her, one arm wrapped around her back to keep his balance. "Trust me, I'm not complaining and would love for that to happen more often, but what was that for?" he asked.

Emma just grinned at him. "Just...letting you know what my plans are for the day, if you want, of course," she added, already knowing what his answer would be.

He pulled her into another kiss in response. And then almost slipped off the couch because he lost his balance. Naturally, Emma started laughing when she saw him half off the couch. "Laugh it up, Swan, this doesn't happen very often," he joked.

"Really? Because I seem to remember you being extremely clumsy when we were teenagers. I don't think that's something you grow out of," Emma teased. 

Killian pulled her up. "Well, minor things can change in eight years. Like, I know for a fact I've gotten better at this," he said, resuming where they left off before he fell off the couch. 

"Must've, otherwise I probably would've remembered us drunkenly making out in high school," Emma mumbled against his lips when they broke apart for air. She then shook her head slightly, "Sorry, I still can't believe that happened."

Killian gave her a look but didn't move his forehead from hers. "For the second time today, love, we're dating," he pointed out. 

"And apparently I need to tell you, for the second time today, that when we were high school I wanted to date the Slimeball. I just didn't...see you that way. You were David's best friend and my bad influence buddy or, you know, something that sounds a lot less lame," Emma replied. "Plus, Slimeball's only, like, a year older than me and you're three years older, so that contributed too," she added, trying to remember what went on in Teenage-Emma's head. She just shook her head slightly, which also moved Killian's. 

"What're you thinking about?" Killian asked. He knew her too well.

"Just...trying to remember the reasons I actually liked Neal and coming up short," Emma answered. "I don't know about you, but thinking about Neal isn't even on the list of things I want to do today," she added.

"So let's not even mention him and continue where we left off," Killian suggested, kissing her again. 

"Aye, aye, captain," Emma mumbled against his lips. 

 

They didn't leave the apartment at all. Emma did end up grabbing both of their phones from Killian's room around one in the afternoon. She tossed Killian his and then scrolled through all twenty-eight texts from Mary Margaret, and nineteen from Ruby, half of which were just emojis. Mary Margaret's mostly asked about how the date was and what happened. The half of Ruby's that were actual words were asking the same things. The two of them really needed to coordinate their texts more. Emma sat back down on the couch and draped her legs over Killian's. "I actually forgot what it was like to not have any personal information ever in this town," she said.

"I have texts from Robin, David, and Ruby all telling me that if I break your heart they'll all break various parts of me. I'd expect that from David and Ruby, I mean, I really thought Dave was going to kill me because of the mistletoe in December, but I was friends with Robin before you ever came to town," Killian replied. 

Emma grinned at him. "What can I say? Coming into the Rabbit Hole every other night demanding onion rings makes a good impression," she joked.

Killian shook his head slightly. "It must've. For what it's worth, I don't intend to ever hurt you or leave you or anything bad. Not that any of them know that, apparently," he added.

"It's worth a lot, and I know. The ring sitting on your dresser is evidence of that. And, for what it's worth, I don't intend to do any of those things either," Emma replied.

"It's worth a lot," Killian said, repeating Emma's words. "I think we're diving head first into very emotional territory, want to see what's on TV?" He asked. 

Emma nodded. "Sounds perfectly fine to me," she answered, grabbing the remote from the coffee table. "I'm also really glad one of us was smart and decided to buy a TV," she said.

"I thought you were going to get one, like, three weeks ago," Killian said as Ema flipped through channels, settling on a sitcom. 

"Yeah but then I was working and I get back home and I want to do literally nothing–besides, you know, maybe see you–"

"Maybe?" Killian asked, cutting her off. Emma just flashed him a grin. 

"Yep. Maybe. Anyways, I get home and I never want to leave." She glanced around his apartment. "Unless it's to come here and take over your TV and your couch," she added.

Killian rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly, but he was smiling. "You know what I think? I think you like stealing all of my blankets and warmth in the middle of the night," he teased.

"Not my fault you're warm and comfy," Emma said. "And, you bought better blankets than I did and it's still February in Maine, so I'm always cold at night."

"We could solve that by either getting you better blankets or just sleeping in the same bed most nights," Killian suggested.

Emma grinned. "Or, we could do both of those."

"That is a much better idea," Killian agreed. Emma turned her attention to whatever show they weren't actually watching, laying out on Killian's couch. He just put his feet up on the coffee table as they started actually paying attention to the TV.

Emma fell asleep within a few minutes, which made Killian laugh a bit. Until she ended up taking a three-hour nap with her legs across his lap, leaving him unable to get it. When she finally did wake up, she had to leave. And, after changing back into her dress from the day before, slipping the ring on around her neck, multiple kisses and laughter and insisting that yes, Killian, I do have to leave I don't have any clothes here I can wear to work tomorrow and promises of of course you can come over tomorrow, even if you reek of fish, Emma finally ended up leaving. 

 

The next day, after she was done with whatever paperwork Graham and David hadn't filled out actual years before, Emma came home and changed into her sweatpants and one of Killian's shirts she stole. She put on Netflix on her laptop and scrolled through her phone until Killian, not even bothering to knock, came into Emma's apartment, dropping his bag on the floor, and then came over and dramatically flopped onto the couch, his head falling into Emma's lap. She laughed as he let out a dramatic sigh. "That was definitely one of the most dramatic things I've ever seen you do," she said.

"If Smee makes me gut one more fish I'm going to gut him," Killian growled, glancing up at Emma, who was trying her best not to laugh at him. "Are you really laughing at me right now?" Killian asked, his mood lightening a bit. 

"Nope, I'm trying not to laugh at you. There's a difference," Emma replied. "I'll go heat up that chicken and you go shower. All I can smell right now is fish," she said, running a hand through his hair. Killian mumbled something Emma couldn't quite make out as he got up.

They fell asleep on the couch, Emma on top of Killian and a not-that-great-blanket wrapped around them.


	11. Decisions

Both of them groaned when they woke up, falling asleep on the couch wasn't nearly as great of an idea as they thought it was the night before. Emma sat up and got off of Killian and caused a ton of small popping noises when she stretched. Killian sat up and didn't think he'd ever be able to look up without killing his neck.

He tried it anyways, and then winced at the pain. "I think we should actually go to your bed tonight. That couch is not as comfy as it looks," he said, pointing at it.

Emma just gave him a slightly tired smile and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I don't know, I was pretty comfy on you last night," she replied. Killian wrapped his arms around her.

"I enjoy you being on top of me too, love, trust me," he said, causing Emma to roll her eyes slightly, but the smile never left, not even when she put her head down against his collarbone. "There's just a lot more room in your bed. Room to do...things." He felt Emma laugh against him.

"I mean, you're not wrong. You're also a lot warmer than all of my blankets so I don't really care where we sleep, as long as I can steal your warmth," she said, not bothering to lift her head. "And it's your turn to make dinner," she added.

Killian nodded once. "Sounds like a plan. We really should get ready for work. I, for one, plan on telling Smee that if he tries to make me gut one more fish I'm going to quit and find a job somewhere else," he said.

"Smee idolizes you. Has ever since high school. Didn't he used to call you Captain?" Emma asked, finally looking up at him. Killian nodded again. "He'll want to keep you on the job, I'm sure you can go out and do something else while Smee finds someone else to gut fish."

"I hope so," Killian said as Emma leaned against him, her face buried against him.

She made some sort of noise that made Killian chuckle. "I kind of hate my job. Nothing happens. All we do is paperwork and occasionally bring in Leroy or Will for being drunk and annoying," she complained against him.

"There are lots of shops here, love, I'm sure you could get a job at any of them. Didn't you work at the ice cream shop in high school? What's that place called?"

"Any Given Sundae," Emma mumbled. "But I also stole so much ice cream from there I'm pretty sure Ingrid wouldn't let me go back and work there again."

"Have you even gotten ice cream since you've been back here?" Killian asked. Emma shook her head. "Then it's settled. I'm going out on the water today so I wont smell like anything bad, so I'm going to pick you from the sheriff's station and we're going to get ice cream. That work with you?" Emma nodded and finally took a few steps back from Killian.

"Do you have to be at work by a specific time?" she asked.

Killian liked the look on her face and liked what she was thinking. "As long as it's before ten Smee won't care when I show up," he answered. "Why?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, you know, just thinking about conserving water and showering together," she answered.

"I like the sound of that," Killian said and kissed her.

Emma had to walk backwards into her room, gripping Killian's shirt with both hands and pulling him with her. They somehow managed to make it into the shower without tripping or otherwise getting hurt.

They spent way too much time in the shower and definitely didn't save any water.

"If we hurry we can stop by Granny's and get coffee," Emma pointed out, tugging lightly on Killian's shirt.

"You're just full of good ideas this morning," Killian said, a stupid smile on his face.

Emma shook her head slightly but didn't let go of his shirt. "There's just that one idea. You're the one that brought up ice cream," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but you also suggested the whole 'conserving water' thing. That means you've had more good ideas than me this morning, love," Killian replied, tapping her shoulder before ducking his head to give her a quick kiss.

"If we keep kissing we won't be able to get coffee," Emma mumbled against him

"But kissing is more fun," Killian pointed out.

Emma smiled. "Can't argue with that. And you can't argue with the fact that I get rude without my morning coffee, and nobody wants that," she said.

Killian lifted his head back up and let out a dramatic sigh. "You're right, of course. I'll drive," he offered and moved around her to grab their phones and wallets and his keys off the kitchen counter as Emma pulled on her red leather jacket. Killian handed her her stuff and they left her apartment.

He opened the car door for Emma, which made her laugh and mutter "gentleman" under her breath as she got in. He drove them down to Granny's. Emma made him wait in the car so she could get them coffee. "Morning, Ruby," Emma said, leaning her elbows on the counter.

"Hey, Em. The usual, I'm assuming?" Ruby replied.

Emma nodded. "And Killian's. I've got him waiting out in the car," she said.

"You left your boyfriend in the car?"

Emma shrugged. "He's driving, figured I buy coffee," she explained and paid for the drinks.

It took Ruby two minutes to hand her the cups. Emma thanked her and came back to the car, sliding in and handing Killian his coffee. "Thank you, love," he said.

"You're welcome." Emma turned on the radio. Killian drove her to the sheriff's station. When they arrived, Emma leaned over and kissed Killian. "See you later, Kil," she said and left, her half-empty coffee cup in her hand as she walked into the station.

"How long did it take you to get coffee? You're actually late today," Graham commented from his desk.

Emma turned to lok a the clock as she sat down in her chair. "Graham, it's 9:05. I'm literally here before David," she replied, not actually answering his coffee question.

"Hey, Humbert, Emma's late so–" David paused when he walked into the room and saw Emma. He glanced behind him in an attempt to look into the parking lot. "Where–how did you–what'd you do, walk here?" David asked.

"Killian has a car and drove me," Emma answered, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Killian drove over to your apartment just to take you to work?" Graham asked.

Emma shook her head. "He didn't drive over this morning," she answered.

"But you just said–" Graham cut himself off as he realized what Emma was saying.

"Figure it out?" David asked. Graham nodded.

Emma faced David. "I don't think I'm going to be working here for much longer."

David stared at her for a second. "What? You've only been working here for almost two months! You're gonna leave? Why?"

Emma shrugged. "There's literally no crime here and you and Graham always make me do the insane amount of paperwork we always seem to have somehow. Honestly? It sucks. And so do the nightshifts I was promised I wouldn't have to work–"

"I was sick!" Graham interrupted, causing Emma to give him a look before turning back to David.

"–I had plans to hang out with my boyfriend that became ruined because of that. You make it sound like I'm leaving Storybrooke, but I'm not. You'll still see me, like, every day. You and Graham'll just have to do all the paperwork yourselves again," Emma finished.

David sat down on the edge of her desk. "Where're you thinking of working at?"

Emma shrugged again. "Killian mentioned Any Given Sundae. Ingrid did love me as a teenager. I'm sure she could use an employee instead of doing everything herself there," she said.

"I think that's a great idea. Make sure you text Mary Margaret before you do, she might actually cry if she isn't kept in the loop of you being happy," David advised.

Ema grinned. "Little Blanchard-Nolan knocking her hormones around?" David nodded.

"I came home yesterday to her crying over a nature film on the National Geographic channel. I didn't even know we had that channel," he answered. 

 

Killian came to pick Emma up from the station at five p.m. sharp. Emma grabbed her stuff and left, a smile already on her face as she got into Killian's car. "So, I was thinking, we should probably be adults and eat dinner before ice cream, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, probably," Emma answered.

"What do you say to a non-official date of dinner at Granny's and ice cream?" Killian asked and, considering they were still sitting in the parking lot of the station, Emma leaned over and kissed him.

"I think that sounds like a great idea."

So, they went to Granny's and grabbed a booth. Ruby didn't even need to take their orders, she knew them by heart when she was sixteen and the two of them plus Mary Margaret and David ordered the same thing every single time. Ruby did come and stop by their table to give them hot chocolate, making sure Emma's had cinnamon on it. "I don't think I've ever actually asked you, love, why do you put cinnamon on your cocoa?" Killian asked.

Emma took a sip of her drink before answering. "When I was super young, like, before I even knew Storybrooke existed, the foster home I was at took us to Starbucks one day and since we were little we only ot hot chocolate and whipped cream. But, when my foster parents were mixing stuff into their coffees, one of the other kids accidentally spilt cinnamon onto my hot cocoa and I drank it anyways because hey, I was like eight and never had anything from Starbucks before. It was really good. It sorta became the one thing that was...mine. You know?" Killian nodded. "And then a year after I got here and finally was started to believe all that shit you said about fitting in here and finding home or a family or whatever, Mary Margaret got cinnamon with hers and I actuallu liked sharing something of mine with her," Emma explained as Ruby came out with Emma's grilled cheese and onion rings and Killian's cheeseburger and fries.

"It's been forever and I still can't believe you like fries over onion rings," Emma said.

Killian rolled his eyes slightly. "That's because you've never had the fries here, love," he reminded her.

"Oh, I just mean in general. Onion rings are just generally better than fries. Oh, don't roll your eyes again, Kil, you know I'm right," Emma added as she watched Killian roll his eyes again. Killian just smiled and shook his head slightly. There was a specific look in his eyes. "What's that look?" she asked.

Killian didn't stop smiling. "Nothing, I just.." am totally and completely in love with you. He couldn't say that out loud. At least not right yet, and definitely not at Granny's–

"Hey, Killian, you still with me?" Emma asked, putting her hand on top of his. She was smiling at him.

He nodded. "Aye, still with you. Just zoned out for a second. And, that look was just about how I'm just happy to be here. With you," he added.

Emma grinned. "Romantic."

"Always," Killian replied, giving her hand a squeeze. "Let's finish eating so we can go shove our faces full of ice cream," he suggested.

"Look at that, there's another good idea," Emma replied.

They finished eating and paid Ruby for their dinner. "Should we walk or drive to ice cream?" Killian asked.

"Drive. Definitely."

Killian raised an eyebrow. "It's, like, three doors down, love. We could easily walk there and walk back here when we're done," he argued.

Emma gave him a look. "It's cold out. I'm cold in here and ice cream is definitely going to make me colder. So, I mean, we can walk but I'm going to be attached to you and steal all of your warmth."

Killian grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing and that I wouldn't like that."

Emma laughed. "Fair point. Come on, let's go get exercise." Killian stood up first and offered his hand to Emma, who willingly took it. They left Granny's, Killian holding the door open for her, causing Emma to mumble gentleman under her breath. Killian just winked at her.

As promised, as soon as they left Granny's, Emma was leaning completely against Killian's side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It took all of two minutes to get to Any Given Sundae, Emma practically freezing the entire way there. Somehow it was actually warmer in the ice cream shop than it was outside. Emma didn't think that was right. "It's too cold outside," she grumbled against Killian.

"Emma! Killian! What are you two doing here?" Ingrid Fisher asked, coming out from the back. Emma could hear the small hum of the freezer.

"To get ice cream. And, you know, say hi," Emma answered.

"How long have you two been in town?" Ingrid asked.

Killian's fingers tapped out a rhythm on Emma's shoulder. "Since Christmas, actually," Killian answered.

Ingrid's mouth dropped slightly. "It's almost March! Why didn't you come by sooner?" she asked.

"Mostly because it's cold and I've been drinking hot chocolate for, you know, months?" Emma replied. "And I haven't been here since before I left and I was definitely a little worried about you being mad I stole all that ice cream?"

Ingrid just laughed. "Emma, I let you steal that ice cream. I do actually make a lot of money," she said and turned to Killian. "I haven't seen you in almost a decade. Why'd you stay away for so long, Jones?" she asked.

Killian just made a small humming noise, tapping Emma's shoulder a little faster. "I didn't want to come back," he answered honestly.

"Well I'm glad you're back now," Ingrid said, placing her hand on his arm for a second.

Killian glanced at Emma. "Me too."

Ingrid grinned. "Free ice cream for the happy couple."

"Oh, Ingrid, you don't have to do that," Emma said.

"No, no, let the woman talk, Swan," Killian mumbled against her hair.

"I insist. Rocky road and chocolate, right?" Ingrid asked, and both of them nodded. "Go sit down."

Emma and Killian sat down and Ingrid brought them their ice cream. "Hey, Ingrid, you don't happen to be, uh, hiring, do you?" Emma asked.

Ingrid shrugged. "I mean it's just me usually, but I do have it in the budget to have an employee. Why?"

"I was just talking to Kil this morning about how my job at the sheriff's station sucks, and he brought up the idea of, maybe, coming here and working for you?"

"I think that's a great idea. Just don't steal too much ice cream this time," Ingrid added with a wink and walked away.

Emma turned back to Killian. "Great, well, now I just have to actually and formally quit my job," she said.

"And David will be incredibly supportive and you know it," Killian pointed out.

The bell on the door rang and there was a shout of "Emma!" causing both Emma and Killian to turn around.

Henry and Roland came over to their table. "Emma! Killian! What are you two doing here?" Henry asked.

Emma gestured to her ice cream. "Eating a lot of ice cream that it's definitely too cold out for." Emma turned to the door to see Regina and Robin coming inside. "And, there are your parents. What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"We're getting ice cream!" Roland answered, very enthusiastically.

"And it's really great you're here because now we can ask if you want to babysit us on Friday," Henry said.

Regina and Robin came over. "Yes, well, it seems he's beat us to it. Obviously, Emma, you don't have to do it, but Henry specifically requested you and we were hoping you were free. Oh, and you can bring Jones over here if you want."

"Always nice to be acknowledged, Regina," Killian muttered.

"Please, can you do it? It'll be fun! We miss having you as our babysitter," Henry said, wrapping his arm around Roland, who was nodding.

Emma glanced at Killian. "We don't have anything planned Friday, do we?" She asked. Killian shook his head. "Want to watch these kids with me?" Henry and Roland were nodding.

Killian didn't think he was capable of saying no to them. "I'd love to," he assured them.

"Great. Can you come over around six on Friday?" Regina asked. Emma nodded once.

Emma and Killian finished off their ice cream and Ingrid came over. "You were serious about working here again, right?" Ingrid asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Ingrid smiled. "Just making sure. When can you start?"

"Does Monday work? I still need to formally quit my job," Emma replied.

"Monday's perfect. I'll see you then," Ingrid said.

Emma and Killian left the ice cream shop, and Emma immediately burrowed against Killian's side for warmth, causing Killian to smile and wrap his arm around her. "I told you I'd be cold after ice cream," Emma said.

"Swan, love, we're literally a minute away from the car. Plus, you love any excuse to be glued to my side," Killian pointed out.

"No, you're the one who loves any excuse to have me glued to your side," Emma argued as Killian opened the car door for her.

Killian slid into the other side. "True, but you love stealing my warmth. Speaking of which, what do you say to getting you some new blankets before we go watch the Mills-Locksley kids?" He suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Now let's go home, Jones," Emma said, curling up in her seat. That's what Killian did. He drove them back to Emma's apartment. When they got inside, Killian dropped face down onto Emma's bed. Emma sat down next to him. "Are you gonna change first? Or, you know, take off your shoes?" She asked. Killian mumbled something into the sheets. "Yeah, you're gonna have to repeat that."

Killian rolled over onto his back. "I said, I'll take off my shoes in a minute. I forgot how comfy your bed was, what with sleeping on the couch last night."

Emma kicked off her shoes and fell back next to him. "You act like we don't have the same exact bed. Why do you still have preferences of which bed you sleep in?"

Killian rolled over towards Emma again, almost on top of her at this point. "I prefer to sleep in whichever bed has you in it. We could literally be sleeping on an air mattress and I'd still think it was the best if I was with you."

Emma ran her fingers through his hair as he moved his head onto her stomach. "You're a great big romantic sap, you know that?" She asked, but she was smiling.

Killian just grinned at her. "I might be a great big romantic sap, but that's why you love me, isn't it?"

"Something like that," Emma answered, not openly admitting she loved him, even though she most definitely did. "Take off your shoes before you get stuff on my bed," she said.

Killian rolled off of her and sat up. "Your wish is my command, m'lady," he said, taking off his shoes and his jacket. Emma got off her bed and changed into sweatpants and the button down shirt Killian had just taken off, buttoning it back up most of the way. "I'm assuming I'm never going to get these shirts back?" He said, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend.

Emma kissed him. "If you came over all the time I wouldn't technically be stealing your shirts," she said.

"That is true. I could also just leave some shirts here for you so you don't have to steal any," he suggested.

Emma just burrowed into his chest. He hadn't put another shirt on. "I like that idea, too, but still come over all the time."

Killian kisses to top of her hair. "Of course I will, as long as you come over all the time to my apartment, too."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me," Emma mumbled against him. "'Night, Kil."

"Goodnight, love."

 

By the time Friday rolled around, Emma was almost ready to just go over to Killian's apartment without him and steal all of his blankets. She didn't understand why she was so cold all the time, except when she was curled up with Killian. She also didn't really care, because she knew that it was her last day at the Sheriff's station, and then she and her boyfriend could go get some new, warmer, blankets and go watch adorable kids.

Emma was more excited to get the blankets, honestly.

And they did. Killian picked her up from the station again, and Emma was kind of glad she didn't have to fill out any more paperwork there. "Ready to go get very warm blankets?" Killian asked.

Emma leaned over to his seat and kissed him for a second. "Yeah, I'm ready to not freeze in my apartment when you're not there."

Killian drove them to the store and they spent ten minutes finding Emma the perfect blanket. She found two. They bought them both and then shoved the bags in the backseat of Killian's car and they went over to the Mills-Locksley house. Emma knocked on the door. "Emma!" Henry said excitedly. "Mom! Robin! Emma's here!" He shouted and then let the couple into the house.

"Emma, you know the drill, right?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Dino nuggets for dinner I'm assuming?" Regina nodded once. "Bedtime for tonight?"

"It's a Friday, you can let them stay up until we get home if you want," she replied. She kissed the top of Henry's head and then Roland's.

"Thanks guys, we really appreciate this," Robin said as he and Regina left the house.

None of them knew it was entirely possible to eat too many dino nuggets. "Can we have ice cream now?" Roland asked eagerly.

"Not right now, Rol. Maybe later, okay?" Emma said.

"Okay!" Killian was sitting on the couch with Emma tucked against his side. "Can we watch movies?" Roland asked.

"I'm okay with that. Sound good to you two?" Emma asked Killian and Henry, both of them nodding in response. "Alright, Henry, Roland, go pick out a movie you both agree on," she said. The kids jumped up and went over to the movie case. "Would it be bad to say I want to go home?" She whispered to Killian, who shook with silent laughter.

"Not at all, given the amount of chicken nuggets you just ate," he muttered against her head.

"Dino nuggets," she mumbled, correcting him.

"We found some!" Roland said, running back over with a stack of movies in his hands. "Can we watch Pirates of the Caribbean?" He asked.

Killian looked at Henry. "Are you guys allowed to watch those movies?"

Henry nodded. "We've both already seen them a few times."

"Alright, put the first one in, then," Emma said. Henry did, and then sat down next to Emma. Roland sat next to Killian.

It took all of five minutes for Roland to lay across Emma and Killian's laps and fall asleep. "Does he do this a lot?" Killian asked Henry, who nodded.

"He usually eats too much and then falls asleep if we don't play some sort of game after dinner. Well, usually mom and Robin don't let him eat too much, but he somehow does it anyways. It's kind of weird," Henry explained. Emma wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "It's nice to have you babysitting us again. I mean, Mary Margaret's obviously great, but you were always more fun."

"Thanks, kid. You're a pretty good kid to babysit," Emma replied.

"I know," Henry said cheerfully, turning his attention back to the movie.

Halfway through the first movie, Emma fell asleep, her head on Killian's shoulder and one arm wrapped around Henry. When that one was over and Henry and Killian were the only two awake, Henry popped in the second movie. Both of them were asleep before it ended.

Regina and Robin came home to all four of them on a pile on the couch, all fast asleep.


End file.
